ADEN, Yemen, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Fighters of the Houthi group shelled positions of the pro-government forces in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Sunday, killing seven soldiers and injuring 17 others, a government official said.

The Houthi fighters heavily attacked with artillery shells and mortars military sites belonging to the pro-government Giants Brigades in the Jubailah area in Tuhyata district in the south of Hodeidah, leaving seven soldiers killed and 17 others injured.

The artillery bombardment against the pro-government forces was followed by a ground Houthi attack that sparked fierce armed confrontations between the two-warring sides, the official said.

The Iran-allied Houthi rebels control the Hodeidah city while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern outskirts.

Hodeidah is the key lifeline entry point for the country's most food imports and humanitarian aid. The ongoing internal military conflict grinding into its fifth year has pushed over 20 million people to the verge of starvation.

Yemeni warring parties reached a peace deal on Hodeidah in December last year as the first step toward brokering a comprehensive political solution.

Sporadic breaches are daily recorded in Hodeidah as the two sides failed to withdraw their forces in accordance with an agreement reached in the Swedish capital Stockholm.