Yemeni Rebels Claim to Have Repelled Saudi Attacks on Hodeidah Port

Houthi rebels in Yemen claim to have repelled attacks by the Saudi-led coalition on a key battlefront around the port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast. Despite this statement from the Houthis on Tuesday, fighting continued around the port. According to the Associated Press, the Houthis reported that at least 30 of their forces were killed in Tuesday's battles. Despite a request from the U.S. government to halt fighting in Hodeidah before the end of November, the Saudi-led military coalition resumed its attacks on the port five days ago. During these battles, dozens of forces from both sides have been killed and hundreds injured. Local residents report that several civilians have also lost their lives due to shelling in residential areas. Local media reported on Tuesday afternoon that airstrikes by the coalition and sporadic clashes around Hodeidah continue. Meanwhile, fighting has also persisted in other fronts, including the southern provinces of Dhale and Bayda, and the northern provinces of Hajjah and Saada, which are important strongholds for the Houthis. In their Tuesday statement, the Houthis claimed to have prevented an incursion by 'Saudi army mercenaries' from the Jizan area across the border from Yemen and Saudi Arabia. According to several journalists who requested anonymity due to security concerns, on Tuesday the Houthis arrested two local reporters in Sana'a who were working for foreign television networks. Other journalists have also been detained by the Houthis in the past, with some imprisoned since the war began. The Associated Press adds that the Norwegian Refugee Council announced that due to the naval, aerial, and ground blockade of Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition, millions of people in this impoverished country are on the brink of famine and susceptible to deadly diseases. In November 2017, after a missile attack by the Houthis on Riyadh, the military coalition severely restricted access to Yemen for Saudi leaders. Jan Egeland, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated, 'The past 12 months have been an endless nightmare for the people of Yemen.' The Saudi-led military coalition has intervened in Yemen's war since March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. The stalemate in Yemen's civil war has created conditions that the United Nations describes as the worst of humanitarian crises in the world. Meanwhile, the UNICEF director warned on Tuesday that the center of fighting in Hodeidah has approached one of the city's hospitals, endangering the lives of dozens of children hospitalized there. He called on other parties to stop fighting around the hospital and ensure the safety of patients in medical facilities. In recent months, Hodeidah has become the most important port for the transfer of humanitarian aid to the main battleground.