STREET battles raged in Yemen’s Hodeida port yesterday, as the Saudi-led coalition attacking the country made a bid to seize the city.

Apache attack helicopters and warplanes bombed residential areas while coalition forces, which are seeking to restore the Saudi-backed government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi that was overthrown in 2015, battled Houthi forces on the ground around the university and two hospitals in the south of the city.

The port is considered vital for control of the flow of humanitarian aid into Yemen, with over eight million people in the country facing starvation as a Saudi blockade has cut off food imports and transport and utilities infrastructure has been destroyed by Saudi bombing.

Riyadh said on Saturday it had “requested” an end to in-flight refuelling assistance from the United States, although the US had already said it would stop providing this support as public anger grows over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and civilian victims of its bombing raids.