Fighting intensified in Yemen on Sunday after the failure of the Geneva consultations that were held last week and concluded on Saturday. The Hodeidah province witnessed heavy battles as the legitimate forces sought to recapture it from the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The military sought to surround Hodeidah city from the east and cut Houthi supply routes from Sanaa. The fighting left 84 members of the army and militias dead. Hospital sources in Hodeidah said 11 soldiers and 73 insurgents had been killed since the talks were abandoned on Saturday. Dozens of militants and at least 17 soldiers had been wounded. Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 100 Houthis were killed over the past two days in Saudi-led Arab coalition strikes on militia positions near the Kilo 16 region at the southeastern entrance of Hodeidah city. A military source from the Amaleeqa Brigades said that the forces are continuing their advance on Kilo 16 that connects Sanaa to Hodeidah city. They managed in recent hours to liberate vast regions, estimated at 12 kilometers. The army also announced that it liberated, with Arab coalition support, villages in the Hiran and Abas districts in the northwestern Hajjah province. The fighting in those areas left several Houthis dead and wounded. Five militants were also taken prisoner. In the Houthi stronghold of Saada, Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr stressed that the battles there will continue until the militias are driven out of the province and the Iran coup is defeated. The government will forge ahead with the military option in its war against the insurgents, he declared. He made his remarks during a meeting he held in Riyadh with Saada Governor Hadi Tarshan in order to discuss the latest military developments in the province. Saada, added the premier, is one of the most important fronts. The military managed to ambush the militias in their very own stronghold. Tarshan, for his part, briefed bin Daghr on the field and military developments in the province and the national army’s achievements there with the support of the Arab coalition.