ADEN, Yemen, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Fierce armed clashes between the Yemeni government forces and fighters of the Iranian-backed Houthi group in the main port city of Hodeidah left more than 150 people killed within the past 48 hours.
Local Yemeni officials confirmed to Xinhua that airstrikes and armed confrontations took place over the control of Tuhyata district and resulted in killing more than 150 people from both warring sides.
An army commander told Xinhua by phone that intensified airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led warplanes killed about 45 members of the Houthi rebel group in Tuhyata district.
Other 65 rebels were killed in armed clashes with the Giants Brigades, part of the joint Yemeni government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the surrounding areas of Tuhyata, the army source said on condition of anonymity.
Medical sources at Jamuhriah public hospital in Aden said that more than 40 fighters allied with Yemen's government were killed in Hodeidah's battles with Houthis.
On Friday, the Giants Brigades took full control of the center and large areas of Tuhyata district in Hodeidah following ferocious fighting that continued for two consecutive days.
The Emirates News Agency WAM reported that dozens of Houthi fighters were captured by the government forces in a large operation against their hideouts in Tuhyata. Other militia fighters fled, leaving behind their weapons, equipment and dead bodies.
Strategically situated on the Red Sea coast, Hodeidah, Yemen's fourth largest city with a population of 600,000, is the only major port city under Houthis' control.
The Hodeidah port, which the Iranian-backed Houthis captured in October 2014, serves as a key source of strength for Houthi militias because it is regarded as a lifeline for many Yemenis.
More than 121,000 residents have fled the war-torn city of Hodeidah and other parts of the province since June 1, the United Nations said this week.
The UN warned that the battles to liberate Hodeidah, which has the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the war-torn Yemen, could kill 250,000.
