A controversial refueling arrangement between the US and the Saudi-led coalition that is bombing Yemen was ended on Saturday, halting a key part of Washington's involvement in the conflict.
The move came as warplanes pounded the strategic port city of Hodeida and after Washington's support for the campaign was placed under increased scrutiny following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Pentagon chief James Mattis said he supported Saudi Arabia's "decision" after the official Saudi Press Agency said the coalition asked for the "cessation of inflight refueling support" from the US.
Yemeni pro-government forces gather on a main road on the eastern outskirts of Hodeida, as they continue to battle for the control of the city from Huthi rebels, November 8, 2018. /VCG Photo
Riyadh's grinding war in Yemen has caused growing international outcry, particularly after a series of coalition strikes that have killed dozens of civilians, many of them children.
Mattis said: "We support the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
In August, the defense secretary warned that US support for the coalition was "not unconditional," noting it must do "everything humanly possible to avoid any innocent loss of life."
A car is burning in an air strike in downtown of Hodeida, October 24, 2018. /VCG Photo
The Shiite Huthi rebels on Friday launched fierce barrages of mortar fire as they battled to slow an advance by pro-government forces deeper into the port city of Hodeida, military sources said.
Their chief has vowed his troops would never surrender despite being vastly outnumbered, shelled government positions in the south of the Red Sea city, loyalist officials said.
Despite the "intense attacks," loyalist forces made fresh advances in eastern parts of Hodeida.
Displaced Yemenis from Hodeida fill their water containers at a make-shift camp in a village in the northern district of Abs in Hajjah province, October 22, 2018. /VCG Photo
Over one week into the renewed offensive, civilians reported air strikes, low-flying jets and Apache helicopters, mortars and missiles on the outskirts of the city and within five kilometers (three miles) of its strategic port, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a statement.
On Friday, medical sources said that 110 Huthi rebels and 22 pro-government forces had been killed in 24 hours of violence, bringing to at least 382 the number of combatants killed since the battle for Hodeida intensified on November 1.
Backed by Saudi air raids, loyalist troops for the first time entered residential neighborhoods on Thursday, using bulldozers to remove concrete road blocks installed by the rebels.
A displaced Yemeni child from Hodeida sits next to food aid in the district of Aslam in the northwestern Hajjah province, October 20, 2018. /VCG Photo
Mattis last month made a surprise call for a ceasefire in Yemen and urged warring parties to enter negotiations within the next 30 days.
The United Nations has now pushed that deadline back to the end of the year.
Nearly 10,000 Yemenis have been killed in the conflict since 2015, according to the World Health Organization.
UN agencies say some 14 million people are at risk of famine in the country, with the World Food Program saying it will nearly double food aid to the country to avert "mass starvation."