Houthi drone strike kills three children in Yemen's Hodeidah: Govt official

Aden, April 10 (IANS) Three children were killed on Thursday when a Houthi drone struck a residential house in Yemen's Red Sea province of Hodeidah, a local government official told Xinhua news agency.

The official, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the drone was launched by Houthi forces but missed its intended target and instead hit a civilian dwelling in Hays district of Hodeidah.

"The drone attack claimed the lives of three children from a single family and left two others wounded," the official said.

The Houthi group has not issued any statement regarding the incident.

The Yemen-based militia has fought against the government since 2014 and controlled much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

Although Hodeidah is mainly controlled by the Houthis, Hays district has been one of the few areas in the province still under government control.

Hodeidah has witnessed a shaky ceasefire between government forces and the Houthi militia despite a UN-sponsored truce reached between the two sides in Stockholm in December 2018.

Earlier on April 9, Vice President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Tariq Saleh, urged the international community to bolster support for the Yemeni government in countering threats posed by the Houthi militias.

Saleh made the remarks during a videoconference meeting with US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin, where they discussed matters of mutual interest, including "the ongoing American military campaign to undermine the terrorist Houthi militias and deter their threats to navigation," according to a statement released by Saleh's office on Wednesday.

Saleh warned that Yemen continues to serve as "a platform for the activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps," stressing the need to "translate the international community's awareness of this threat into tangible support for the legitimate Yemeni government."

"Ending the threats posed by Iran's proxies in Yemen (the Houthi group) requires strong international support for the Yemeni government to complete the battle to restore the state," Saleh said.

For his part, Fagin reaffirmed the US commitment to supporting the PLC, highlighting that his country would continue its efforts to undermine the Houthis' military capabilities until they cease their threat to maritime security in the Red Sea.

The US diplomat also underscored the importance of unifying ranks to address the security and humanitarian challenges facing Yemen, according to the statement.

--IANS

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