SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Sunday a gas ship held by the Saudi-led coalition was released.

Houthis say the vessel carrying 8,259 metric tons of gas was seized by Saudi-led coalition on April 27.

“The ship is expected to arrive at al-Hudaydah port within hours,” Ali Measar, a spokesman for the Houthi-run gas company in Sanaa, said in a statement cited by the local Saba news agency.

Last week, Houthi insurgents warned that the seizure of the gas ship will cause a gas crisis in rebel-held areas.

Houthi-held areas in Yemen suffer regular fuel shortages as the Saudi-led coalition blocks the entry of gas and oil vessels into al-Hudaydah port.

Last month, Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition agreed a UN-brokered two-month truce under which all offensive military operations were halted.

Under the terms of the truce, 18 fuel ships will be allowed to dock in al-Hudaydah port.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014 when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to restore the Yemeni government to power.

The 8-year conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with millions suffering from hunger.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar