Saudi-led invaders face stiff resistance in push to seize Hudaydah

Yemeni officials say a massive Saudi push against Hudaydah on the west coast of Yemen has been defeated, with a number of Sudanese mercenaries killed or captured.

Based on reports, fighting reached residential streets on Sunday, with locals and Ansarullah defenders mounting fierce resistance to the invaders. 

Medics and military sources say more than 60 combatants have been killed on both sides over the past 24 hours. 

A source with the Saudi-led militants was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that the toll included more than 40 Ansarullah defenders and about 20 loyalists to the former Yemeni regime.

The invaders have been pushing to enter the strategic port city since 10 days ago, trying to advance on Hudaydah's docks which are the lifeline for vital humanitarian aid to the impoverished country.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have deployed thousands of additional troops after seeing their campaign launched in June to seize Hudaydah thwarted by Ansarullah defenders and their allies in the Yemeni army. 

On Saturday, reports suggested the invaders had seized the main hospital in the city. The invading forces also saw the Jabaliyah and Matineh areas in Hudaydah retaken by the city's protectors.

Hudaydah fighters have put up fierce resistance to the Saudi push towards the city's vital docks, which are the point of entry for 80 percent of Yemen's commercial imports and nearly all UN-supervised humanitarian aid.

The recapture of Jabaliyah cut supply lines to the invaders, drawing praise from Sana'a-based Yemeni Defense Minister Major General Mohamed Nasser al-Atefi.

SS