Fighting rages street-to-street in Yemen's key port city
3,738 views · Published 17 November 2018 · 1:37 · Indexed 18 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(12 Nov 2018) Street battles raged on Sunday in several areas of Yemen's contested port city of Hodeida, where a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition is trying to drive out Iran-backed Shiite rebels, officials said. They say air strikes from warplanes and Apache attack helicopters shook residential neighbourhoods throughout the day, while ground forces clashed around the university in the city's south, as well as al-Thawra and May 22 hospitals to the east. Residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw smoke rising from both areas, with several military vehicles on fire near the university. Intense fighting around al-Thawra Hospital blocked access to it for hours, while rebels retook the May 22 hospital after it fell briefly to the coalition, they said. Closer to the port facilities, the gateway for vital humanitarian aid, rebel gunmen occupied one the country's largest flour mills and posted fighters on its rooftop, one official added. He said efforts are ongoing to evacuate workers inside the site he feared could now be targeted by air strikes. Armed forces loyal to Yemen's exiled government were also in force in an industrial zone on the outskirts of Hodeida. The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the rebels, known as Houthis, who toppled the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015 in an attempt to restore the mostly exiled government to power. The war has killed an estimated 10,000 people, and left around two thirds of Yemen's population of 27 million relying on aid, with more than 8 million at risk of starvation. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1eed3f474d374200e8455e3a0a16359a
