Yemeni troops moved closer to a key rebel-held port on Sunday after seizing control of Hodeidah's Al Duraihami district, the latest victory in lightning offensive launched in the province last week with support from the UAE Armed Forces.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels left behind large numbers of weapons as they fled Al Duraihami, state news agency WAM reported.
Heavy fighting in Hodeidah between pro-government forces and the rebels has killed more than 150 people in the last four days, Yemeni officials and witnesses said on Sunday.
The large-scale offensive has seen ground troops carrying sophisticated weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles, backed by air support from the Arab Coalition, move to within 50 kilometres of the strategic port city of Hodeidah.
WAM described the operation as a severe blow for the Houthi rebels, who are said to have suffered heavy casualties and left in "an unprecedented state of confusion, panic and major collapse".
"Tens of their fighters fled the battlegrounds," WAM reported.
A Yemeni military source said coalition air support had been critical in liberating a number of strategic areas, including Zubaid and Jubaliya Junctions, Matina, Al Mugris, Al Mujalis and Al Suwaiq.
While government forces seize rebel-held areas along the western coast, the coalition has been targeting the rebels with air strikes in their stronghold of Saada province in north-west Yemen.
Hodeidah port is a vital lifeline through which most of the Yemen's food and medicine is shipped. The coalition accuses the Houthis of using Hodeidah and other ports to receive weapons and ammunition from Iran, which denies arming the rebels.
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On Saturday, the coalition said Saudi Arabia’s air defence shot down an Ian-manufactured Houthi drone near Abha International Airport in Asir province.
“At exactly 1.45pm, the air defence in charge of protecting Abha airport noted an unidentified object heading towards the airport, and it was dealt with accordingly and destroyed,” coalition spokesman Turki Al Malki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) late on Saturday.
“After investigation by the Arab coalition, it turned out the object was a drone belonging to the Houthi militia with Iranian specificities that was targeting the protected airport."
An examination of the debris showed the drone was manufactured by Iran, Col Al Malki said.
He said the Arab coalition — which is fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen on behalf on the internationally-recognised government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi — targeted the "terrorist forces" in charge of assembling and arming drones in a workshop in Saada province.
“The Arab coalition will strike with an iron fist all those involved in terrorist activities and that threaten the security of civilians and residents in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“These hostile actions will not go unpunished.”
Earlier on Saturday, SPA reported that two Saudi soldiers were killed while fighting the Houthi rebels close to the Saudi-Yemen border. It did not provide details on when or how the soldiers were killed but said senior officials took part in their funerals.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition, in which the UAE plays a leading role, intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 at the request of Mr Hadi’s government.
The Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles and launched drones into Saudi Arabia that the United States and UN experts say are of Iranian origin.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
Company profile
Name: Cashew
Started: 2020
Founders: Ibtissam Ouassif and Ammar Afif
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: FinTech
Funding size: $10m
Investors: Mashreq, others
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
FIXTURES
New Zealand v France, second Test
Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand
South Africa v Wales
Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 118hp
Torque: 149Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Price: From Dh61,500
On sale: Now
EMILY IN PARIS: SEASON 3
Created by: Darren Star
Starring: Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park
Rating: 2.75/5
The Iron Claw
Director: Sean Durkin
Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Lily James
Rating: 4/5
'Cheb Khaled'
Artist: Khaled
Label: Believe
Rating: 4/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Company Profile
Name: Takestep
Started: March 2018
Founders: Mohamed Khashaba, Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Adel Wafiq and Ayman Taha
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: health technology
Employees: 11 full time and 22 part time
Investment stage: pre-Series A
SPECS: Polestar 3
Engine: Long-range dual motor with 400V battery
Power: 360kW / 483bhp
Torque: 840Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 628km
0-100km/h: 4.7sec
Top speed: 210kph
Price: From Dh360,000
On sale: September
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices