Battle rages on

The government forces of Yemen backed by the Arab coalition launched a “vast offensive” to take full control of Hodeidah yesterday. National army forces had advanced towards the north and western sides of the city, according to the internationally-recognized government based in the southern city of Aden.

“Fierce battles are taking place at these moments,” the statement said. As many as 110 Houthi rebels have been killed in the last 24 hours of clashes in Hodeidah along with 22 pro-government troops fighting to retake the port city, AFP reported Friday. The latest deaths raised to 382 the number of fighters killed on both sides since the battle for Hodeidah intensified on November 1. The offensive follows a week of fighting as pro-government troops advanced into the city’s suburbs. The Houthis have controlled Hodeidah since 2014 when they overran the capital Sanaa and the north of the country.

They have been driven out of virtually all of the south and much of the Red Sea coast by pro-government forces and the Arab coalition, which intervened to restore the government in 2015. The offensive comes as it emerged that Donald Trump’s administration is thinking about classifying the Iran backed Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, the Washington Post reported. The move would be part of a US campaign to end the war in Yemen and put pressure on Iran.