ADEN, Yemen, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Shells fired by Houthi rebel group killed at least five civilians and injured seven others in Yemen's western port city of Hodeidah over the last 24 hours, a government official told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The official of Hodeidah's local authority said on condition of anonymity that a number of shells fired by Houthis indiscriminately landed on houses located near the city's airport controlled by the government forces.

The victims included two children and three women in two government-controlled neighborhoods of war-torn Hodeidah.

He added that Houthi-launched random shells hit a displaced family in a government-controlled area of Durayhmi district, wounding seven people.

The Houthis aligned with Iran are taking advantage of a recent pause in the military campaign and started launching counter-offensive attacks in different areas of the Red Sea coast city, according to local military sources.

The temporary pause declared by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was to give a chance for peace efforts exerted by the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to avoid military conflict in the densely populated Hodeidah.

Earlier in the day, Griffiths ended a three-day visit to the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa, saying that "meetings were positive and constructive. All parties confirmed their strong desire for achieving peace in Yemen."

Strategically situated on the Red Sea coast, Hodeidah, Yemen's fourth largest city with a population of 600,000, is the only major port city under Houthis control.

The Hodeidah port, which the Iranian-backed Houthis captured in October 2014, serves as a key source of strength for Houthi militias because it is regarded as a lifeline for many Yemenis.

The United Nations warned that the battles to liberate Hodeidah, which has the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the war-torn Yemen, could kill 250,000.