Yemen Government says Houthi missiles kill four civilians in port city

Yemen's internationally recognised government said Iran-aligned Houthis fired six ballistic missiles at the Red Sea port of Mocha on Friday, killing at least four civilians.

The escalation in hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government has come amid heightened regional tensions from the US-Israeli war on Iran. The Houthis have emerged as a key front in that war, raising the prospect of a return to large-scale conflict in Yemen.

The Yemeni armed forces aligned with the government said in a statement that the Houthi attack on Mocha targeted a civilian facility and economic and maritime installations, killing one port security guard. Two sailors were also missing and eight civilians were wounded, the armed forces said.

A military source told Saba news agency earlier on Friday the Houthis hit Mocha with six missiles, resulting in the death of four civilians and the burning of several fishing boats.

The Houthis said they used ballistic missiles to attack what they described as a military build-up of weapons and warships belonging to Saudi-backed forces and "mercenaries" in Mocha, destroying boats and weapons.