Sanaa, Aug 16 (IANS): A total of 10 people were killed as pro-government Yemeni forces engaged in armed clashes with the Houthi rebels in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official said.

"Fresh armed confrontations erupted between units of the pro-government forces and the Houthi militia in Hodeidah's district of Tuhyata," the official told Xinhua news agency on Sunday.

The armed confrontations resulted in the killing of seven Houthi members and three soldiers of the pro-government Yemeni forces, he said.

He added that other military units of the pro-government forces were dispatched to reinforce the fighting against the Houthis in Tuhyata.

Hodeidah, a vital lifeline for millions facing starvation, has seen a shaky ceasefire between the government and the Houthi group since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

The truce was seen as the first phase toward a nationwide cease-fire to end Yemen's years-long military conflict, but fighting continued across the impoverished Arab country.

Hodeidah is under the control of the Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern districts.