Battle of Al Hudaydah

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Friday threatened to escalate attacks on Red Sea shipping after overnight strikes by the United States and Britain killed 16 people, according to rebel media.

In a recent update on the situation surrounding the detained vessel "Galaxy Leader," Nasreddin Amer, the spokesman for the Houthi movement "Ansar Allah," conveyed positive news regarding the well-being of the two Bulgarian sailors aboard. Almer indicated that the sailors were found to be in excellent condition during a recent interaction, offering reassurance to their concerned families.

The UN Security Council has asked Yemen's Houthi rebels to immediately stop attacks on vessels in the Red Sea that began in November.

Britain, the United States and 10 other countries have warned Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to stop their "highly destabilizing attacks in the Red Sea or face the consequences" after tensions in the region spiked, "The Times" reported.

Greece has advised commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to avoid Yemeni waters, keep only the necessary crew on the bridge and follow alerts issued by maritime authorities to avoid attacks in the area.

Greek ship-owners control about 20% of the world's commercial vessels in terms of carrying capacity.

Aid organizations are making an urgent plea for funding to shore up their operations in war-torn Yemen, saying they have already been forced to stop some of their work even as the coronavirus rips through the country.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged on Aug. 13 Tehran's continued support for Yemen's Houthi movement and called for dialogue among Yemenis to safeguard the war-shattered nation's territorial integrity.

At least 149 people including civilians have been killed in 24 hours of clashes between government loyalists and rebels in Yemen's flashpoint city of Hodeida, medics and military sources said Monday, reports AFP. 

A military official in Hodeida confirmed seven civilians had died, without giving further details.

This image grab taken from a video shows Yemeni pro-government forces firing a heavy machine gun at the south of Hodeida airport, in Yemen's Hodeida province on June 15, 2018. AFP PHOTO

More than 121,000 people have recently fled Yemen's port city of Al-Hudaydah due to fierce attacks by Saudi-led coalition forces, according to a new UN report.