Sanaa, April 2 (IANS): Egyptian soldiers disembarked from a navy warship at the port of the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Thursday, Efe news agency reported citing eyewitnesses.

Amidst heavy fighting between Shia Houthi rebels and militias loyal to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, residents near the Yemeni seaport reported that soldiers got off from an Egyptian warship that docked at the port on Thursday morning, thus marking what are considered the first foreign ground troops to land in Yemen during the Saudi led Operation al-Hazm Storm, which began last Thursday.

As of now, there has been no official statement from Egyptian authorities to confirm any reports or activities.

A naval source at the Aden port told Efe that the troop's presence is aimed at "securing the evacuation of Arabs and other foreign nationals in the port".

The source added that the soldiers got back on board the same Egyptian Navy ship with the evacuees, reiterating that their mission was not directly involved in halting the Houthi advance on the city.