Air strikes kill at least 25 civilians in Yemen's Red Sea port city

At least 25 people, including children and women, were killed when warplanes from the Saudi-led military coalition hit provincial presidential palace and nearby residential quarter in Yemen's Red Sea port city of al-Hodayda in late night of Wednesday, medics, witnesses and residents said.

"Initial death toll is 25 and 73 others were brought to hospital with various injuries from the airstrikes," a local medic told Xinhua.

Witnesses and residents said the warplanes raided first the presidential palace, then waged other series of strikes on Hunood neighborhood in the vicinity of the palace.

A Houthi official told Xinhua that "all top officials inside the palace have survived the air attacks."

It was the latest of a series of air strikes on civilian targets.

Top officials of the Shiite Houthi armed group attended a public ceremony organized by the group in the port city to mark the second year anniversary of Sept. 21, the date that the group seized power after storming the capital Sanaa and other northern provinces in 2014.

Houthis seized al-Hodayda, the capital Sanaa and half of the country's north in Sept. 21, 2014, forcing internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.

The move triggered a military airforce intervention by the Saudi-led coalition in March 2015, to fight back the rebels and restore Hadi and his government to the capital.

Houthis is still in full control of most northern cities despite intensified 18-month war to roll back their gains.

The outbreak of war prompted foreign countries to close their embassies and evacuate their staff.

The war has since killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, injured about 35,000 others and displaced over three million, according to statistics from humanitarian agencies. Endit