Houthis kill 16 Yemeni troops near Hodeidah

Houthi rebels killed 16 Yemeni government-aligned troops in fierce clashes near the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, officials and medics said, as a cargo ship also came under attack off Yemen’s coast in a separate incident reported by the British military.

The fighting was among the most violent between the Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government in years. Medical sources told AFP that hospitals in the area received 16 dead and 22 wounded from pro-government forces after clashes south of Hodeidah.

Walid al-Qudaimi, a minister of state and cabinet member aligned with the government, said Saturday evening that soldiers from the Tihama region were killed during fighting in the Jabal Dabbas area. In a post on X, he said the troops died “defending their land and dignity.”

An officer with government-aligned forces described the assault as the “deadliest Houthi attack in years.” He told AFP the clashes began late Friday, when Houthi fighters briefly took control of pro-government positions before a counterattack retook the sites by dawn Saturday.

The officer said the Houthis used snipers, causing most of the casualties, before launching drone and mortar salvos. Another military official said pro-government forces repelled the assault after “clashes lasting several hours” and that there were “dead and wounded among (Houthi) ranks,” but he did not provide figures. Al Jazeera reported that al-Qudaimi said more than 50 Houthi fighters were killed in the Hodeidah clashes.

The Houthis have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2015. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a major humanitarian crisis. The rebels control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, including Hodeidah on the western Red Sea coast, while the Aden-based government holds much of the south.

The front lines have remained largely frozen since a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022, though sporadic violence has continued. The latest fighting followed Houthi threats against airports and vital facilities in Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Yemen’s government. The group accused the kingdom of trying to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a bulk carrier reported being “under attack by unknown armed assailants” on Sunday about 30 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah.

According to the British military agency, a skiff approached the cargo ship and opened fire, prompting security guards aboard the vessel to return fire. The skiff then sailed back to a larger ship about 2 nautical miles away, which had its automatic identification system switched off. The cargo ship and its crew were reported safe, and authorities were investigating.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the maritime attack. The Houthis have threatened to resume attacks on ships in the Red Sea. A Houthi spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, CBS News reported.

During the Gaza war, the Houthis fired drones and missiles at ships passing near territory they control by the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. Those attacks forced shipping companies to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa rather than through the Suez Canal at the northern end of the Red Sea.