Fighting Rages in Yemen’s Hodeidah After Pro-Saudi Forces Scrapped Ceasefire

Houthis attack pro-Saudi forces on road to Sanaa

On Monday, the brief Saudi-declared ceasefire in Yemen’s aid port of Hodeidah suddenly ended, with pro-Saudi forces launching a flurry of attacks backed by Saudi warplanes. On Tuesday, both sides appeared to be back to full-scale hostilities, with fighting raging in and around the city.

Both sides traded fire in their respective neighborhoods in the city, and major fighting was reported on the road connecting Hodeidah and Sanaa, where the Houthis attacked pro-Saudi forces, trying to reopen the supply lines.

Fighting is picking up around Yemen, despite talk of peace talks being held next month. The Houthis say that they fired a missile at Saudi Arabia is retaliation for cross-border raids into the northwest. The Saudi attacks killed a child in the village of Ghalfirah.

The calm that was prevailing just days ago was meant to be a confidence-building measure ahead of talks in Sweden. With fighting seemingly back in full swing, it’s not clear what is going to happen to the peace process.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.