DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s years-long civil conflict killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions and drove the country to the brink of famine before a 2022 truce restored relative calm. Now, renewed hostilities between the Houthi rebels and the government have many fearing the return of all-out war.

Hodeida native Anwar, a father of two, recalls fleeing the advance of the Iran-backed Houthis, seeking refuge in the city of Mokha.

Last week, explosions startled him and his children as the rebels hit Mokha port, reviving fears of another cycle of displacement and violence.

“I do not want our lives to be haunted by constant panic caused by Houthi terror. Mokha used to be a safe city and a haven for many Yemenis,” he told AFP.

“The hardest part is not fearing for my own safety, but fearing for my children and family,” he said.

Yemen, which has been embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, last month became the latest country to be dragged into the Middle East war as the Houthis upended the 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government, ramping up attacks on areas it holds.

The government said it had retaliated after deadly attacks that hit military camps in the central Marib province and the Mokha port on the Red Sea, as well as residential areas in Marib home to displaced people.

Anwar’s three-year-old daughter was born after the truce and has “no idea what war is,” he said.

When she heard explosions, she ran to her father and asked what was happening, he said,........

© The Times of Israel