Sanaa, May 20 (IANS): Eight people were killed in renewed armed confrontations between Yemen's warring factions in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official said.

"Two groups of the the Houthi rebels carried out an attack in an attempt to to advance towards key areas located in the southeastern parts of Hodeidah," the official told Xinhua news agency on Wednesday

He said that the Houthis' attack sparked intense armed confrontations with the joint pro-government forces stationed in the area.

The clashes that lasted for hours resulted in the killing of eight people from the two-warring sides and injuring several others.

Last week, five people were killed and 11 others wounded during armed confrontations in Hodeidah's eastern parts.

The port city of Hodeidah, a vital lifeline for the war-torn country, has witnessed a shaky ceasefire between the government and the Houthi rebels since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

The truce was seen as the first phase toward a nationwide ceasefire to end Yemen's more than six years of civil war.

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

Both sides have been blaming each other for truce breaches and sporadic military escalation.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.