Clashes intensify in Yemen's Hodeidah‏

Clashes between the Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels intensified in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, military sources from both sides told Xinhua.

The clashes took place in the village of al-Shab in the district of Hays in the south of the port city.

Local residents said tanks, artillery and heavy machine guns were used in the ongoing battle, forcing many families to flee the village.

There were no reports yet about casualties.

Part of the province, including the port city, is under control of the Houthi rebels, while the government forces have advanced to the southern districts.

Hodeidah has seen a shaky cease-fire between the government and the Houthi rebels since the two sides reached a United Nations-sponsored truce agreement in Stockholm in December 2018.

Yemen has been mired in war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of Sanaa.