World Bulletin / News Desk

UN ceasefire efforts in Yemen appeared to have fizzled on Monday, raising fears for civilians as Saudi-backed pro-government forces press an offensive to retake the key rebel-held port city of Hodeida. 

But the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said the talks had failed, and the head of their unofficial government rejected a ceasefire under current conditions after meeting Griffiths on Sunday.

Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor accused Saudi-led forces of "escalating their attacks on the western coast when they felt there were serious moves towards a solution". 

The Saudi and Emirati-backed assault has seen thousands of families displaced as loyalist forces battle towards the Red Sea port city.

The Huthis, Zaidi Shiite tribes linked to Iran, seized control of the area along with the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, sparking an intervention by a Saudi-led alliance the following year. 

The war for control of the Arab world's poorest country has since killed at least 10,000 people and triggered what the UN says is the world's largest single humanitarian crisis. 

Some 22 million people need aid, while 8.4 million are on the brink of starvation. 

More than 70 percent of Yemen's imports flow through Hodeida.