Aden (Yemen), Nov 17 (IANS): Pro-government Yemeni forces managed to abort an infiltration attempt by the Houthis in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, leaving seven rebels killed, a military official said.

The joint pro-government forces on Saturday confronted a group of Houthi fighters who were attempting to infiltrate into the military sites in Tuhyata district of Hodeidah province, the local military source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The Houthi military operation was aborted by the pro-government forces that repulsed the rebels after brief clashes, leaving seven rebels killed in the area, the source said.

The military source confirmed that the joint pro-government forces stationed in Hodeidah are still committed to the cease-fire brokered by the United Nations despite the repeated Houthi attacks.

The Iran-allied Houthi rebels control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern districts.

Yemen has been locked in a civil war since the Houthi rebels seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The prolonged military conflict has aggravated the suffering of Yemenis and deepened the world's worst humanitarian crisis.