ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of newly-recruited Yemeni troops began preparations for waging a massive military attack to capture all areas of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah following a year of de-escalation.
The preparations for the upcoming military campaign against the Houthi rebels came just weeks after the complete withdrawal of all military forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan from Hodeidah's outskirts.
"Well-trained Yemeni forces received the control of all the Red Sea coast areas after the withdrawal of our Arab military forces," a senior military official of the joint anti-Houthi Yemeni troops based in Hodeidah told Xinhua.
"Thousands of our Yemeni armed forces will carry out an all-out military campaign to liberate Hodeidah without intervention from the Saudi-led Arab coalition," he said on condition of anonymity.
"The UN-brokered peace deal on Hodeidah made no constructive results and only enabled the Houthi militias to enlarge their military capabilities," the military official noted.
Another officer of the southern Giants Brigades fighting Houthis in Hodeidah confirmed that his leaders are studying the plans for attacking the Houthi-controlled areas in cooperation with other local Yemeni forces.
"A year of de-escalation after signing the peace deal in Stockholm cost us a lot as Houthis continued to attack our bases through ballistic missiles sporadically," the officer said also on condition of anonymity.
"Houthis killed and injured hundreds of civilians with their indiscriminate shelling on the residential neighborhoods in Hodeidah in 2019," he added.
The upcoming campaign "won't leave even one inch of Hodeidah under the control of the Houthi rebel militias," the officer stressed.
Tariq Mohammed Saleh, a nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, vowed to resume fighting against the Iran-allied Houthis in all Yemeni territories including the capital Sanaa.
Tariq said he had started mobilizing thousands of his elite Republican Guard forces stationed on the outskirts of Hodeidah with Houthi-controlled Sanaa as the main target.
Addressing a number of newly-recruited forces in the Red Sea city of Mocha, he urged them to keep their morale high and be fully prepared for cmajor anti-Houthi battles.
"We renew our call to all Yemeni people to come together. Houthis caused curses and wars and they are the enemy of all Yemenis," said Tariq.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition handed over Hodeidah's front to a joint Yemeni military command to lead the battles against Houthis there.
Meanwhile, the Houthis intensified their military presence in many areas of Hodeidah in an attempt to curb any upcoming progress of the pro-government forces.
"The mercenary forces won't make any progress without direct support from the Saudi-led coalition particularly the airstrikes. Our fighters are always ready for the battle," s Houthi source in Hodeidah told Xinhua.
In October, the United Nations started deploying cease-fire observers in Hodeidah, establishing five observation points near the military contact lines between the two warring parties.
The observation points are manned by liaison officers from both parties in accordance with the cease-fire agreement reached in 2018 in Sweden which also called on both warring sides to move forces away from ports and parts of the strategic city.
However, sporadic exchange of gunfire and artillery shelling continued to rock the strategic port city despite the presence of the cease-fire observers.
As the main Yemeni port city along the coast of the Red Sea, Hodeidah is the key lifeline entry of most Yemen's commercial imports and humanitarian aid.
The grinding war of more than five years has pushed over 20 million people to the verge of starvation.
The Iran-allied Houthis control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to its southeastern districts.
The cease-fire deal in Stockholm was seen as the first phase toward achieving a comprehensive political solution to the civil war.
