Date: Sep 4, 2018 Source: The Daily Star 38 Houthi rebels killed in Hudaida: military sources Agence France Presse KHOKHA, Yemen: The Arab coalition fighting in Yemen killed 38 rebels in the past 24 hours in air strikes on the strategic port of Hudaida, military and medical sources said Monday. The latest raids come just days before peace talks in Geneva between the internationally recognized government backed by the coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Pro-government military sources told AFP the coalition targeted the Houthis, including a roundabout in the south that leads to the center of Hudaida city and near a naval academy to the west. Four military vehicles belonging to the rebels were also targeted near Hudaida’s airport. Medical sources in Hudaida said 38 Houthi rebel fighters were killed and 26 were wounded. Hudaida’s port serves as an entry point for some 70 percent of imports in a country where eight million people face imminent famine. The Red Sea port has been controlled by the rebels since 2014, when they drove the government out of Sanaa and much of the country. The government and the coalition accuse the Houthis of receiving smuggled weapons through Hudaida and have demanded their unconditional withdrawal from the city. Pro-government forces backed by the alliance have paused their assault on Hudaida port after launching an offensive in June in what they say is a bid to give U.N.-led peace efforts a chance. Thursday's talks in Geneva are expected to focus on the fate of embattled Hudaida, as well as a prisoner exchange deal.