Houthi-fired shells land on residential areas in Yemen's Hodeidah

Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-07 18:00:39|Editor: Wu Qin
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ADEN, Yemen, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Fighters of the Houthi rebel group intensified the artillery shelling against a number of government-controlled areas in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Sunday, a military official told Xinhua.

The pro-government military official, who preferred to be unnamed, said that heavy Houthi artillery shelling targeted several houses in Mundhar residential area located to the south of Hodeidah city, causing injuries and damages in the area.

Some of the artillery shells landed on a house and destroyed it, causing also severe damages to other houses located in the same area, he said.

The Houthi indiscriminate bombardment forced scores families to leave their houses located near the government-controlled areas for fear of new attacks, the source added.

Sources of the pro-government Giants Brigades said that a camp of displaced people located in Hodeidah's district of Khokha, south of the city, was targeted by the Houthi shelling.

The Houthi-fired shells landed on displaced tents, leaving three girls injured, said the sources based on Hodeidah.

Yamani factories in Hodeidah's eastern part were affected by Houthi-fired mortar shells, causing partial damages to the private institution and leaving two workers injured, according to the local sources.

The injured workers were transferred immediately by an ambulance to receive treatment at a pro-government field hospital.

Recently, the sporadic armed confrontations between the pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels escalated despite the cease-fire brokered by the United Nations during the Stockholm peace talks last year.

The Houthi rebels control the city while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern outskirts.

Hodeidah is the lifeline entry point for Yemen's most food imports and humanitarian aid. The more than four-year grinding war has pushed over 20 million people to the verge of starvation.

The Yemeni warring parties reached a peace deal on Hodeidah in December last year as the first step toward brokering a comprehensive political solution.

Sporadic breaches, however, are daily recorded in Hodeidah as the two sides failed to withdraw their forces in accordance with the agreement reached in the Swedish capital.

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