ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed an ammunition depot of the Shiite Houthi group in the Red Sea coast city of Hodeidah on Friday, a Yemeni army officer told Xinhua.
"An air operation was conducted against Houthis and destroyed their arms and ammunition depot in Raymia area of Hodeidah province, causing huge blasts," a local army officer said on condition of anonymity.
The army officer loyal to Yemen's government said that the targeted site was a source of ammunition supply for the Houthi fighters positioned in various battlefields in Hodeidah.
"The fighter jets managed to destroy the warehouse after receiving clear information tips from the ground intelligence sources," the officer added.
Other gatherings and Houthi-controlled sites in Hodeidah were targeted during the early hours of the day, causing an unknown number of casualties.
Meanwhile, a government official told Xinhua that the Houthi fighters arrested scores of citizens after accusing them of cooperation with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in Hodeidah.
"The Houthis kidnapped dozens of innocent citizens and transferred them to the central prison following baseless accusations," the government source said.
On June 13, the Arab coalition, backing internationally-recognized government of Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, declared a major assault to recapture Hodeidah and the Yemeni western Red Sea coast from the Houthis.
Yemen's government and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly accused the Houthi rebels of using Hodeidah's port to smuggle Iranian weapons. Both Houthis and Iran denied the accusation.
Hodeidah is the single most important point of entry for food and basic supplies to Yemen's northern provinces controlled by Houthis, including the capital Sanaa.
The Arab coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 to roll back Shiite Houthi rebels and reinstate Hadi.
