CAIRO (AP) — A Yemeni minister has accused rival Houthi rebels of storming a warehouse used by the World Food Program to store humanitarian aid in the war-torn Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

Abdel-Raqeeb Fateh, the minister of local administration, said in a statement on Friday that the Houthis have turned the WFP warehouse in al-Durayhimi district into a military barracks.

Thousands of families were caught in the district's crossfire between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition forces fighting them, he added.

Calling for a condemnation from the U.N., Fateh said the Houthis are intimidating humanitarian workers.

Hodeida port city is a lifeline for the Houthis who control northern Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition has since June waged an offensive clear the port city of the Houthis and restore government control.