As Yemen faces famine, U.N. works to avert attack on food port

Food aid is lined for distribution by a local charity in Sanaa, Yemen, June 5, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A quarter of Yemen's people are on the brink of famine, parents are marrying off young daughters so someone else can care for them and cholera cases are escalating, U.N. officials warned on Tuesday as they work to avert a Saudi-led attack on a key port.

The United Nations has warned the Arab alliance fighting Iran-aligned Houthis against any attempt to extend the war to Hodeidah, a vital Red Sea aid delivery point where some 80 percent of Yemen's food imports arrive.