A man walks towards the gate of the Red Sea port of Hodeida.

:: Houthi militias have continued their preparations for an urban war in Hodeidah in their bid to tighten their siege on the city’s residents, and spread fear and terror among them by continuing to dig more trenches, erecting mounds and cement barriers in several neighborhoods in the city center and cutting off major streets in several parts of the city, leading to the port area.

The move coincided with the distribution of hundreds of motorcycles by militants and deploying them in neighborhoods and intersections armed with machine guns and portable rockets.

On the other hand, media reports reported the division of Houthi Maj. Gen. Said Abu Bakr al-Hariri, commander of the fifth military zone in Hodeidah, announcing his defection from the militias and joining the ranks of the Yemen’s legitimate army.

Meanwhile, battles continue on the fronts of Nahm, Saada, al-Baydah and Lahj.

Military sources reported on the front of the death of Brigadier General Abdullah Oudah, commander of the fourth brigade of the militias’ Republican Guard, along with ten of his companions after an attack by the Yemeni national army on their positions.

Those losses exacerbated the situation of the Houthis as zero hour of the operation to liberate the whole city of Hodeidah began.