SANAA, Yemen, April 24 (NNN-SABA) – Yemen’s government troops, on Tuesday, repelled a ground attack by the Houthi rebels on Hodeidah airport, a military source said.
The rebels’ attack aimed to retake the airport, in the south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the source said.
Dozens of rebels were killed in the botched raid, he said.
Meanwhile, government forces, stationed on the southern outskirts of Hodeidah, also came under attack from the Houthis, according to other sources.
Hodeidah, main lifeline entry of Yemen’s 70-percent commercial imports and most humanitarian aid, has become a focal point of a civil war since June, 2018, when government troops, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, launched assault to retake the port city.
Troops of the Yemeni exiled government have since advanced to the southern edges of Hodeidah and recaptured the airport after fierce battles against the rebels.
The coalition halted its assault on Hodeidah in late 2018, to facilitate peace efforts to end Yemen’s four-year war, which has killed more than 10,000, displaced over three million others and brought the Arab nation to the brink of famine.– NNN-SABA
