Yemeni forces have advanced inside the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah after tightening the noose on Iran-backed Houthi insurgents from almost all fronts.
Military sources said Thursday that the army has avoided urban warfare in order not to cause civilian casualties.
Medical sources also said that at least 100 Houthis have been killed in the fighting and in Saudi-led Arab Coalition airstrikes.
The Yemeni army’s official website said the military liberated on Thursday new sites in Hodeidah amid intense fighting.
It quoted Giants Brigade official Ahmed al-Juhaili as saying that that Yemeni forces have taken control of the passports building after heavy clashes with the insurgents.
He said Houthi fighters have escaped towards the city center and have hidden among civilians after storming their houses and placing snipers on rooftops.
The fighting to regain control of the port city is heading in the right direction after the army advanced through several fronts, tightening the grip on most entrances to the city except for the northern passage known as the Sham Road, military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International accused the rebels of "deliberate militarisation of hospitals" in Hodeidah.
The group said the Houthis recently stationed fighters on the roof of a hospital in the May 22 district, calling the action a "stomach-churning development.”
Amnesty's Middle East Director of Campaigns Samah Hadid said the Houthi move was in a violation of international humanitarian law.
