Yemeni local sources said that at least 5 women were killed and 5 others were wounded when an artillery shell fell on a neighborhood in the coastal city of Hodeidah in western Yemen on Friday evening, while the army and the Houthis exchanged accusations about the bomber.
The Media Center for the Giants Brigades (affiliated with the army) said in a statement, "An artillery shell fired by the Houthi militia on Friday evening at a women's wedding hall killed 5 women and wounded 7 others."
The statement added, quoting eyewitnesses, that the shell was fired by Houthi elements from the side of one of the parks under the group’s control east of Hodeidah, without further details.
On the other hand, the Houthi group accused the pro-government forces of being behind the bombing that targeted a women's wedding hall in Hodeidah.
The Houthi-affiliated "Saba" agency quoted the Acting Governor of Hodeidah (under the group's control), Muhammad Qahim, as saying, "The mercenaries of aggression (pro-government forces) targeted the gate of the Mansoura wedding hall in the Al Hawk district of Hodeidah.
"The bombing resulted in the death of 5 civilians and the injury of more than 5 others, in an initial outcome," he added.
The Houthis control the city of Hodeidah, the center of the governorate, in addition to its strategic port, while government forces control the entrances to the city from the southern and eastern sides.
Since 2015, a military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, has been carrying out military operations in Yemen, in support of government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have controlled provinces, including the capital, Sanaa (north), since 2014.
The war, which has been going on for more than 5 years, has put millions of Yemenis on the brink of starvation, and 80% of the population has become dependent on humanitarian aid to survive, in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.