Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed at least 16 government troops aligned with the country's internationally recognised government in an attack south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, marking one of the ‘deadliest’ clashes between the two sides in years.Two medical officials told AFP that the hospitals along the Red Sea coast received the bodies of 16 pro-government troops and treated 22 others who were injured in the fighting.Earlier, an officer with government-aligned forces in Jabal Dubas in Hays district had given a provisional toll of 14 soldiers killed and 23 wounded in what he described as "fierce fighting".According to the officer, the clashes began late on Friday when the Iran-backed Houthis launched an assault and briefly seized pro-government positions. Government forces later mounted a counteroffensive and recaptured the positions by dawn on Saturday."This was the deadliest Houthi attack in years," the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.He said the rebels opened the assault with sniper fire, accounting for most of the casualties, before launching drone and mortar attacks.Another military official said pro-government troops eventually repelled the offensive after "clashes lasting for several hours", adding that the fighting also resulted in "dead and wounded among (Houthi) ranks," though no casualty figures for the rebel side were provided.The latest escalation comes despite a UN-brokered truce agreed in 2022 that largely froze front-line fighting in Yemen's decade-long civil war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.The Houthis continue to control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, including Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast, while the internationally recognised government holds large parts of the south.The attack also follows fresh threats issued by the Houthis on Friday against airports and other vital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, a key supporter of Yemen's Aden-based government. The group accused Riyadh of preventing an Iranian aircraft from landing, further raising tensions in the region.