ADEN — A UN-chartered ship loaded with humanitarian supplies bound for Yemen was targeted by Houthi shelling as it approached the country's main southern port of Aden on Sunday, an official said. The provincial government official said Houthi rebels did not allow the ship to dock at Aden's port. “The Houthis fired shells at a ship chartered by the UN that was carrying 7,000 tons of food... when it was within a nautical mile of Aden's port,” the official said, adding that the vessel itself was not hit. “The ship was forced to turn back and by night time it was about five to eight nautical miles from Aden,” he added. According to the official, the vessel had set off from Djibouti, which the UN uses as a hub for humanitarian aid bound for Yemen. The incident was confirmed by a port official. “The Houthi fire forced the ship to turn back as it approached the port,” the port official said. He accused the rebels of “imposing a food blockade on areas of Aden under the control of the Popular Resistance Committees.” Meanwhile, warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Monday against Houthi militia positions in the north, center and south of the country. Planes and artillery bombed the Iran-allied group's northern stronghold province of Saada, which borders the Kingdom, and airstrikes hit suburbs of the southern port of Aden on the Arabian sea. Airstrikes pounded military positions aligned with the Houthis in Sanaa on Sunday. Warplanes dropped bombs on groups of Houthi fighters on the outskirts of Aden. — Agencies
