Houthi shelling kills 7 civilians in western Yemen

AL HUDAYDAH, Yemen

At least seven civilians were killed when shelling by Houthi rebels hit a village in western Yemen, the Yemeni army said on Sunday.

Ten others were also injured in the attack on a village in the coastal city of Al Hudaydah, the al-Amalika Brigade said in a statement, adding that some of the wounded are in a critical condition.

Yemen has been beset by violence since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 as a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains. Thousands of people have been killed and displaced in the conflict since then.

Millions of children's lives are at "high risk" as the country moves closer to famine, according to UNICEF.

Last month the UN called for an immediate end to clashes in the Al Hudaydah province, where a cease-fire was agreed to in late 2018. The agreement reached during UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden was never fully implemented.

Al-Hudaydah is the main entry point for Yemen’s commercial imports and aid.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz