Yemen’s National Resistance Forces said it killed 14 Houthi fighters in a raid targeting Houthi bases and facilities in the port city of Hodeidah. The force announced the operation in a statement on Tuesday evening, describing it as carried out under instructions from the Presidential Leadership Council to take “deterrent” measures and recover state institutions.

The Houthis had not responded to the government forces’ claim at the time of the report. According to Yemen’s state news agency Saba, the decision to conduct an operation in Hodeidah was made during a recent meeting in Riyadh attended by representatives of the Presidential Leadership Council and the Saudi-led military coalition.

The Presidential Leadership Council said it was seeking to restore state institutions, establish authority across Yemen’s national territory and end humanitarian suffering caused by the Iran-backed Houthi group. Yemen’s conflict began in 2014, and tensions have risen again after an attack on the runway at Sanaa airport last week, for which the Saudi-backed council government claimed responsibility.