Yemen rebel chief admits alliance advance into Hodeidah

SANAA - Yemen's rebel chief vowed Wednesday he would never surrender to Saudi-backed forces, as international aid groups appealed for safe passage for civilians caught in the flashpoint port of Hodeidah.

After six days of intense battles that have left 200 combattants dead, pro-government forces pressed even closer to the heart of Hodeidah, the Red Sea city controlled by the Huthi rebels and under blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the horizon on Tuesday as heavily armed pro-government forces moved towards the port on foot and on the back of pickup trucks.

The coalition, an alliance led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had sent fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters to cover Yemeni troops fighting rebels on the ground, a pro-government military source said.

In a lengthy televised speech from an undisclosed location, the country's rebel chief appeared to admit the alliance had made headway into Hodeidah.

International aid groups have appealed to both the rebels and the alliance to allow civilians to escape the densely populated city of 600,000 people.

The International Committee of the Red Cross appealed for the warring parties to "spare civilians and civilian infrastructure" including ambulances, hospitals, electricity and water plants.

The first youngster was confirmed killed in the fighting Wednesday, with Save the Children saying a 15-year-old had died of shrapnel wounds at a hospital in Hodeidah.

Millions of people across Yemen are dependent on humanitarian aid to survive a deadly trifecta of war, disease and looming mass starvation -- and nearly 80 percent of that aid comes through Hodeidah.

The United States, which is providing vital logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition, called last week for a ceasefire but apparently to no avail.

State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said that the United States was reiterating to all parties that "there is no military victory that can be achieved in Yemen."

He said that the United States has also told the Saudis and Emiratis that targeting humanitarian aid or critical infrastructure "is unacceptable."

'Enemy numbers'

The Huthis, northern tribesmen linked to Iran, seized large parts of Yemen in a 2014 takeover, including the capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the Yemeni government's war against the Huthis the following year, driving the rebels back but failing to retake Sanaa and Hodeidah.

Nearly 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since 2015, according to the World Health Organisation, and the country now stands on the brink of famine.

Rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi on Wednesday acknowledged he was outnumbered, but appeared undaunted even while appearing to admit to incursions by the Saudi-led coalition.

"The enemy benefits from its numbers, which it has increased even further to pressure the city of Hodeidah," al-Huthi said.

"Does the enemy think that penetrating this or that area, or seizing this or that area, means we will be convinced that we should surrender and hand over control?

"This is not happening and will not happen ever."

A medical source said that the Huthis had forced medical staff out of the May 22 Hospital -- one of Hodeidah's main medical facilities -- and stationed snipers on top of the building.

Child casualties

International aid groups rely on Hodeidah to ship into Yemen aid -- including basic vaccines and water sterilisation tablets -- and on Wednesday they called for the urgent evacuation of residents.

One of the city's biggest hospitals, Al-Thawra, is now only "metres away from an active frontline", said International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Mirella Hodeib, speaking from the Yemeni capital.

Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said: "We're talking about dying children who are currently at the hospital.

"What we are fearful about is that the escalation of violence is highly likely to jeopardise humanitarian efforts that are life-saving," she said, warning the already dire situation would likely worsen.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced it had suspended its work in the Daleh region, east of Hodeidah province.

"There have been multiple security incidents directly targeting patients, staff and MSF-supported medical facilities in the area. We are left with no choice, but to close all activities in Daleh governorate," said Ton Berg, the group's head of mission in Yemen.

At the United Nations, The Netherlands, Sweden and Peru rejected a draft text at the Security Council calling for an end to the fighting.

The three countries said that the draft, proposed by current Council chair China, did not go far enough in addressing the dire humanitarian crisis.