ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Forces loyal to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government managed on Friday to foil a fresh armed attack launched by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua.
"The Houthi rebels launched a large attack against the locations of the joint pro-government forces in Hays district of Hodeidah," the local official said on condition of anonymity.
"The attackers rained the pro-government military locations with heavy shelling and attempted to seize the area but their attack was foiled," he added.
The pro-government forces forced the Houthi attackers to withdraw after hours of armed confrontations with them, the source said.
Medical sources confirmed to Xinhua that around 10 soldiers of the joint pro-government forces were injured during the fighting with Houthis in Hays.
Last month, the United Nations started deploying cease-fire observers in Hodeidah, establishing five observation points near the military contact lines between the two warring parties.
The observation points are manned by liaison officers from both parties in accordance with a UN-sponsored cease-fire agreement reached in Stockholm in December 2018.
As the main Yemeni port city along the coast of the Red Sea, Hodeidah is the key lifeline entry of most Yemen's commercial imports and humanitarian aid.
The grinding war of more than four years has pushed over 20 million people to the verge of starvation.
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to its southeastern districts.
The cease-fire deal in Stockholm was seen as the first phase toward a comprehensive political solution to the civil war.
