Aden — The fighting in the Yemeni city of Hodeida intensified as more Houthi leaders continue to defect from the militias.

Military officials said Coalition warplanes and Apache attack helicopters targeted neighborhoods where Houthis are positioned, adding that violent clashes erupted around a university south of the city, near Al-Thawra Hospital and May 22 Hospital.

Meanwhile, several top Houthi commanders have defected following losses. There are expectations that more figures will defect as the Houthis suffer more losses and as the grip is tightened around their major strongholds in Saada and in their last naval port in Hodeida.

The last of those who defected were former Houthi minister of information Abdulsalam Jaber. His defection comes a few days after the resignation of minister of tourism Nasser Bazqzouz and the revolt of deputy minister of education Abdullah Al-Hamdi, in addition to unconfirmed reports of the escape of foreign minister Hisham Sharaf.

Meanwhile, pictures and video footage have emerged showing large quantities of sugar and rice, kept in small packages of 8 kgs, are being replaced with TNT explosives in an attempt to smuggle them via the Hodeida port, in addition to planting explosives and mines in rice and sugar packages kept inside stores.

A source at the Yemeni army said the government forces have seized hundreds of mines and explosive materials of this kind.

Local media reports have also said that the Houthi militias have been using this method lately to smuggle weapons into Hodeida for its fighters.

The Arab Coalition has said that Houthi militias are continuing to use civilians as human shields in key cities as they continue to incur further losses on the ground.

The statement came during a press conference on Monday held by Arab coalition spokesperson Col. Turki Al-Maliki.

This comes on the same day as a report revealed that Houthi militias have stolen and occupied at least 235 homes belonging to Yemeni political, social and military figures in the capital Sanaa since their takeover of the city in 2014. — Agencies