Yemeni Army Pushes Back Saudi-led Attack on Al-Hudaydah

Local Editor

Yemeni forces pushed back a large-scale assault by militants and mercenaries on the port city of al-Hudaydah, a source in the Saudi-led coalition confessed. 

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have deployed about 10,000 new troops to Yemen's western coast after repeated campaigns to seize the Red Sea port city were thwarted by Ansarullah revolutionaries and their allies in the Yemeni army. 

Medics and military sources were quoted as saying Monday that nearly 150 people had been killed in 24 hours of clashes, including several civilians.

Based on a tally provided by AFP, 110 protectors of the city and 32 invaders were killed overnight. A military official in al-Hudaydah confirmed seven civilians deaths, without giving further details.   

Ansarullah fighters and their allies, however, pushed back the massive offensive to occupy the city, the news agency admitted, citing a source in the coalition as saying. 

Residents told AFP that Yemeni snipers had taken positions on rooftops in eastern al-Hudaydah, a few kilometers from the port on the western edge of the city, in preparation for street battles.

Saudi Arabia launched its brutal military campaign against Yemen in March 2015. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), the war has claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis so far.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team