ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A drone of the Houthi rebel group was downed by Yemen's pro-government forces in the country's western port city of Hodeidah on Thursday, a military official told Xinhua.
"The air defenses of the joint pro-government forces managed to destroy an explosives-laden drone over the airspace of Durayhmi district of Hodeidah," the source said on condition of anonymity.
"The Houthi drone was loaded with explosives and tried to attack military locations in the areas controlled by the government forces," he added.
The Houthi drone operation was aborted by the joint pro-government forces and caused no casualties in the area, the source noted.
Houthis repeatedly use drones loaded with explosives to carry out attacks against the government forces in Hodeidah and elsewhere in the war-ravaged Arab country.
Hodeidah, the lifeline entry of Yemen's most commercial imports and humanitarian aid, has become a focal point of the war since June 2018 when the Saudi-led coalition forces advanced into the southern edge of the port city.
The Arab coalition, which intervened in Yemen's civil war in March 2015 to support Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has halted its assault on Hodeidah since late 2018 to facilitate the peace efforts to end Yemen's war.
