150 killed in Yemen's Hodeidah within 48 hours

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Fierce armed clashes between the Yemeni government forces and fighters of the Iranian-backed Houthi group in the main port city of Hodeidah left over 150 people killed within the past 48 hours.

Local Yemeni officials said airstrikes and armed confrontations took place over the control of Tuhyata district and resulted in killing over 150 people from both warring sides.

An army commander said intensified airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led warplanes killed about 45 members of the Houthi rebel group in Tuhyata district.

A woman displaced by the fighting in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah holds a child near their hut at a camp for IDPs near Aden, Yemen,‍ June 23, 2018. /VCG Photo

Another 65 rebels were killed in armed clashes with the Giants Brigades, part of the joint Yemeni government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the surrounding areas of Tuhyata, the army source said on condition of anonymity.

Medical sources at Jamuhriah public hospital in Aden said more than 40 fighters allied with Yemen's government were killed in Hodeidah's battles with Houthis.

On Friday, the Giants Brigades took full control of the center and large areas of Tuhyata district in Hodeidah following ferocious fighting that continued for two consecutive days.

The Emirates News Agency WAM reported that dozens of Houthi fighters were captured by the government forces in a large operation against their hideouts in Tuhyata. Other militia fighters fled, leaving behind their weapons, equipment and dead bodies.

People displaced by the fighting queue to receive aid from United Nations agencies in Hodeidah, June 27, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

Strategically situated on the Red Sea coast, Hodeidah, Yemen's fourth largest city with a population of 600,000, is the only major port city under Houthis' control.

The Hodeidah port, which the Iranian-backed Houthis captured in October 2014, serves as a key source of strength for Houthi militias because it is regarded as a lifeline for many Yemenis.

More than 121,000 residents have fled the war-torn city of Hodeidah and other parts of the province since June 1, the United Nations said this week.

The UN warned that the battles to liberate Hodeidah, which has the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the war-torn Yemen, could kill 250,000.

(Cover: Workers inspect damages at the site of an airstrike on the maintenance hub at the Hodeidah port, May 27, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency