HODEIDA: Fighting for control of Yemen’s rebel-held city of Hodeida reached residential streets on Sunday, as the Houthi insurgents mounted fierce resistance to government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, military sources said.

Fears for civilian safety have been rising since November 1, when the loyalist forces renewed an operation to take Hodeida. The Red Sea port city has been in the grip of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2014.

Troops entered residential streets in eastern Hodeida on Sunday with the aim of “purging them of insurgents”, according to a pro-government military official.

Rebels entrenched in the streets and positioned on rooftops battled to keep loyalist fighters out of a neighbourhood located between two major landmarks in Hodeida, the city’s main hospital and vegetable market, both essential to the daily lives of civilians.

Yemenis across the city have reported seeing snipers stationed on rooftops and rebel-run tanks firing artillery in Hodeida, home to the impoverished country’s most important port.

Residents south of the site of Sunday’s clashes said they could hear gunfire and shelling throughout the night.

“We had three people from our neighbourhood hospitalised over the weekend for shrapnel wounds,” said Marwa, who asked that her name be changed.

“We’re really tired. It’s not safe. We have no money. This time no one is leaving. We can’t afford it, and it’s too dangerous.” Saudi Arabia and its allies first launched an offensive to take Hodeida in June, sparking an exodus from the densely populated city.

The operation was temporarily suspended amid UN efforts to hold peace talks, which failed to materialise. The United Nations is now pushing for talks by the end of the year.

Pro-government fighters moved into the neighbourhood between the May 22 hospital — the largest in Hodeida — and Sanaa Road, which links the port city to inland Yemen.

Fighters clashed around the Al-Waha (Oasis) Resort hotel complex, closing in on a civilian district located south of the hospital and north of Sanaa Road.

Hodeida’s docks, while under blockade, were not yet impacted by the fighting, according to a local official.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2018