SANAA, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels said they shot down two spy drones over the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Monday.

"The two spy drones run by Saudi-led coalition forces were downed over Kilo 16 area," the rebel TV al-Masirah reported without giving further details.

The coalition has yet to comment on the rebels' claim.

Saudi Arabia-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile and seized much of the country's north, including Sanaa.

Hodeidah, the main lifeline entry of the country's most commercial imports and humanitarian aid, has become a focal point of the Yemen war since June 2018, when the coalition forces began assault to retake the port city.

The coalition-backed troops of the Yemeni exiled government have since advanced to the southern edges of Hodeidah after fierce battles against the rebels.

The coalition halted its assault on Hodeidah late of 2018 to facilitate peace efforts to end Yemen's war.

In December, a UN-brokered cease-fire deal was reached in Stockholm between the Yemeni rival parties to avert an all-out offensive on Hodeidah. The deal focused on Hodeidah as a first step toward a comprehensive political solution.

The truce deal was largely held but both warring forces have failed to withdraw from the port city in line with the deal. Enditem

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