Houthi Attack Kills 16 Government Soldiers in Yemen's Hodeidah

Houthi rebels attacked government forces in Hays district of Hodeidah governorate on July 5, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 22 others with mortar shells, drones and sniper fire, according to medical and military sources cited by Al Jazeera. The district has remained relatively calm since the 2022 truce and lies near shipping lanes.

A cargo ship came under attack the same day off the Hodeidah coast, the British military said, though no injuries occurred.

No group claimed responsibility. On July 10, Hadi Haig, head of the government negotiating team on prisoners and abductees, announced that the Houthis had postponed a prisoner exchange indefinitely. The deal covers more than 1,600 detainees and requires field arrangements and an air bridge under International Committee of the Red Cross supervision.

Abdulqader al-Murtada, head of the Houthis’ Prisoners Affairs Committee, said the government side caused the delay by failing to abide by terms and refusing to add names to the agreed list. Tensions also arose over air travel. An Iranian aircraft arrived at Sanaa airport on July 3 to collect a Houthi delegation for the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The internationally recognised Yemeni government later rejected an Iranian request for a Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Sanaa and proposed using a Yemenia Airways chartered aircraft instead. In al-Jawf governorate, a tribal dispute over a house in Sanaa led to the detention of Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid bin Fadgham al-Hazmi by the Houthis.

” Marib, Taiz and al-Dhale governorates have seen varying levels of military mobilisation.