ADEN (Reuters) – Intense fighting broke out in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah late on Monday, shattering a lull in violence that had raised hopes for a ceasefire between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi insurgents as the United Nations tried to resume peace talks.
Coalition warplanes conducted more than 10 air strikes on Houthi positions and battles could be heard in the “July 7” district, four km (2.5 miles) away from the port, residents said. One resident said a medium-range missile had been fired from the city center toward the district in the suburbs.
The coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had last week ordered a halt in its offensive against the Houthi-held Red Sea port city, now a focus of the war, amid pressure from the West to end a conflict that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
The Iranian-aligned Houthi group announced early on Monday it was halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their Yemeni allies, in one of its biggest concessions since it quit the southern port city of Aden in 2015.
The Houthi movement also said it was ready for a broader ceasefire if the coalition “wants peace”.
Later Yemen information minister Moammar al-Eryani said the Houthis had “fired a missile toward Saudi lands”, adding on his Twitter account the missile failed to reach its target and fell inside Yemen. Houthi authorities could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.
