Heavy fighting erupts between Yemeni government forces, Houthis in Hodeidah

Heavy clashes erupted between Yemeni government forces and Houthi fighters in the western province of Hodeidah, Yemen’s state television reported on Tuesday.

According to Al-Yemen TV, the fighting broke out after the Houthis launched a large-scale attack on government military positions in the Hays district south of Hodeidah province.

It reported that the government forces repelled the assault and inflicted significant casualties and equipment losses on the attackers. No further details were provided.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the reported clashes.

The fighting came days after the government-aligned National Resistance Forces announced the death of Brig. Gen. Yahya Wahish, commander of its 1st Brigade, in a roadside bomb attack targeting his convoy in the coastal city of Al-Khokha in southern Hodeidah. The group blamed the Houthis for the attack, while the movement did not comment on the accusation.

Although major frontlines have remained largely frozen in recent years, sporadic clashes continue despite a UN-brokered truce that significantly reduced hostilities in April 2022.

Yemen’s conflict began after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the internationally recognized government in 2015.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly and indirectly, devastated infrastructure and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.

*Writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul.