Fighting for control of Yemen's rebel-held city of Hodeida reached residential streets on Sunday, as the Huthi 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 Huthi rebels since 2014.
Mariam Aldogani, Save the Children's field coordinator in Yemen, said that the people in Hodeida are living in a "state of fear". "There is a lot of fear among residents, and some fear keeping their (loved ones) in hospitals as battles intensify," she said by phone about a kilometre away from the port, as strikes were heard in the background.
Troops entered residential streets in eastern Hodeida 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.
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."
Battles on Sunday intensified in the southwestern part of the city as pro-government forces advanced along the coast towards the port, military officials told AFP. Yemenis across the city have reported seeing snipers stationed on rooftops and rebels with tanks firing artillery in Hodeida. 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.