SANAA, Yemen (AP) – Yemeni authorities say Houthi militants fired machine guns at the Red Sea harbor on Saturday, destroying civilian bases.
The attack on the Mocha port on the west coast of Yemen has been sharply criticized by Iranian-backed Houthis, who in recent weeks have intensified their attacks on government property, as well as border attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The rebels blamed the Houthis for the conspiracy. A Houthi prophet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014 when Iranian-backed militants in Houthi began seizing Sanaa’s capital and much of the northern part of the country, forcing the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, with the support of the United States, in an effort to restore Hadi power, and to throw its support behind its international-backed government. Despite the lengthy battle and the fighting on the ground, the war was severely disrupted and caused serious problems throughout the world.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Houthis had dropped ballistic missiles and five bombs.
No humanitarian action has been reported, but the ministry has said the protest “severely damaged” ports and set fire to other aid agencies. It did not specify who will store the goods at the port.
Saturday’s attack on the Mocha port came after a new UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said on Friday that the poorest Arab country was “deeply entrenched in war.” He warned that resuming peace talks would not be difficult.
Earlier this year, the Houthis reunited with the central city of Marib, but failed to perform well and suffered serious injuries. He also founded Saudi Arabia.
Last month, a bomber-carrying plane crashed at an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, injuring eight people and destroying a military plane, an attack that the Kingdom condemned the Houthis.
The Saudi invasion came just days after arrows and drones engulfed a large army in southern Yemen, killing 30 Yemeni militants unrelated to Saudi Arabia.