Yemeni fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed government gather with armed pick-up trucks and armoured vehicles on the side of a road during the offensive to seize the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

:: The Yemeni army foiled a Houthi offensive into positions south of Yemen’s Hodeidah province on Sunday, Saudi state-news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported.

Military sources said “army forces supported by the Arab coalition foiled a militia infiltration attempt and attack in the hopes of recovering positions in the region that it had lost.”

The army also arrested local elements working for the militia within the same province.

A military source told the Yemeni Defense Ministry’s official website, September Net, that those arrested were relaying army position coordinates to the Houthi militia.

Elsewhere, a report published by local activists revealed that more than 40 civilians were killed by Houthi bombardments in Hays province south of Hodeidah.

According to the report, among those killed were 14 children, and among the more than 100 wounded, were 40 also children.

The report also stated that the Houthi attacks damaged more than 100 houses, eight farms, five mosques and four government facilities.

Elsewhere Yemen’s army made further advances in the Hiran district of Hajjah province, north-west of Hodeidah on Sunday.

A statement released by Yemen’s army stated that the forces regained several new positions while continuing its advancement.

According to the statement, dozens of militia were killed and 10 were captured east of the village of Jemaa in the valley of Hiran.