Saudi-led air raids kill at least 14 in Yemen's Aden

Fighter jets of the Saudi-led coalition forces launched several rounds of air strikes on military sites and two hotels controlled by the Shiite Houthi group in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, a government official told Xinhua.

"A number of Houthi-controlled military sites and two hotels were pounded by the warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition forces which support militia allied with the exiled Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the fight that is raging in and around Aden city," a local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"Official reports indicate that the air strikes on Houthi-held hotels in khorMaksar district of Aden killed about 10 people and wounded several others," the official said.

He added that "the forces increased the air bombings," adding that "about four Houthi gunmen were killed and more than 11 others wounded in the air strikes in Dar Saad district of Aden."

Meanwhile, intensive clashes continued across Aden city as pro-Hadi militiamen launched assaults aiming to retake key government institutions and Aden international airport from the Houthi group.

The two sides exchanged gunfire, and explosions were observed on the coastal road leading to Aden's airport and the Badr Armored Army Brigade controlled by the Houthis.

"Our fighters were trying to retake some neighborhoods and key crossroads which were occupied by the Houthi group. After fierce fighting, we have taken over parts of Aden's airport and the runway," said a top commander of the pro-Hadi forces.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties among the warring rivals as the fighting still rages in the city.

The combat zone has spread to almost the whole Aden city, in which many streets were almost empty and shopping malls were closed due to sabotage acts.

The battles in Aden between the Shiite Houthi group and pro-Hadi forces have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes amid sharp shortages of basic needs such as food and medicine.

Saudi Arabia started on March 26 airstrikes against the Houthi group and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullash Saleh who was accused of supporting the Houthis to overthrow Hadi, aiming to reinstate Hadi's government.

Later, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced the halt of air raids, saying the coalition forces had eliminated threats of the Houthi group to the regional countries. However, the warplanes of the Saudi-led forces still carried out daily operations in Yemen against the Houthis and Saleh since then. Endit