Coalition poised to take airport of Yemen's main port city

Ninety six militia elements were killed in airstrikes conducted by the Coalition.

Arab troops appeared poised to enter the airport of Yemen's main port, Hodeidah, on Friday as a Saudi-led alliance prepared to seize the city in the biggest battle of a three-year war.
Alliance forces led by Emirati troops have advanced to within metres of the airport, entering the Al Manzar area adjacent to it, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television quoted Yemeni military officials as saying.
Ninety six militia elements were killed in airstrikes conducted by the Coalition and during confrontations with the resistance fighters amid major collapses in the militia's defences in the Hodeidah front, which saw the rebels sustaining heavy losses in personnel and equipment as a result of surprise and devastating attacks.
Attacks by thousands of resistance fighters on rebels' positions have also resulted in capturing tens of militiamen, including field commanders.
On the same vein, the Joint Yemeni Resistance forces are combing pockets of the militia in liberated areas in Hodeidah and cleared mines and unexploded ordnance planted arbitrarily by the rebels in a bid to hamper progress of the resistance.
Meanwhile, with UAE active participation and support, the Arab Coalition and resistance forces are advancing on multiple axes towards the Hodeidah after depleting the rebels' military and human capabilities in the a large-scale decisive operation to retake the Hodeidah city from the grip of the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
With land, sea and air support by the UAE Armed Forces, the Arab Coalition and the Joint Yemeni Resistance forces began on Wednesday a decisive military operation to liberate Hodeidah city and its strategic port from the grip of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, who rejected peaceful solutions. So far, strategic areas have been liberated and retaken from the rebels.

• MENA