Yemen's pro-govt forces gain new military progress in Houthi-held Hodeidah

Aden (Yemen), Nov 22 (IANS) Yemen's pro-government forces continued on-ground military advances against the Houthi rebels in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua.

"The joint pro-government forces gained a new military progress and captured a number of new areas from the Houthis, particularly in Jabal Ra's district on Sunday," a local source said on condition of anonymity.

Intense armed confrontations are still going on between the government forces and the Houthis in the district and neighbouring areas, killing and injuring several people loyal to the two warring sides, he added.

Meanwhile, warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition launched a number of airstrikes against the Houthi-held sites in Hodeidah, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces launched a military operation that resulted in securing Hodeidah's district of Hays completely and expelling the Houthi rebels out of the strategic area as well as the neighbouring areas, local officials said.

Hodeidah is under the control of the Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern districts.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.