Heavy fighting erupts between Yemeni forces, Houthis in Hodeidah

Yemen's state television reported on Tuesday that fierce fighting broke out between government forces and Houthi fighters in the western province of Hodeidah after the Houthis mounted a large-scale offensive against military positions in the Hays district. Government troops repelled the assault and inflicted casualties and equipment losses on the attackers, according to Al-Yemen TV, though no further details were provided.

The Houthi movement did not immediately comment on the clashes, which mark the latest flare-up in a province that has seen sporadic violence despite diplomatic efforts to maintain a ceasefire.

Commander killed in roadside bombing

The fighting follows the death of Brig. Gen. Yahya Wahish, commander of the 1st Brigade of the government-aligned National Resistance Forces, who was killed in a roadside bomb attack targeting his convoy in Al-Khokha in southern Hodeidah days earlier. The group blamed the Houthis for the assassination, though the movement has not responded.

Protracted conflict

Major frontlines in Yemen have remained largely frozen in recent years, though sporadic clashes continue despite a UN-brokered truce that reduced hostilities in April 2022. The conflict began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led intervention in support of the government the following year.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and devastated infrastructure, triggering what the United Nations has described as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.