The Yemeni army has recaptured large areas in the Saada district after fierce clashes with the Houthi rebels on Tuesday.
More than 30 Houthis were killed and two were detained, a military source told Al Arabiya news channel.
“The army forces seized weapons from the militias, including RPGs, a cannon and Kalashnikovs,” said the source.
He added that the Arab coalition fighting on behalf of the Internationally recognised government of Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi destroyed in air strikes a number of heavy weaponry belonging to the Iran-backed rebels.
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Yemeni troops retake Haiys district from rebels
Saudi-led coalition continues battle against Houthi rebels
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Meanwhile, the UAE armed forces — a key player in the Arab coalition — delivered aid to the residents of Haiys in Hodeidah on Tuesday after helping the Yemeni forces liberate it from the Houthi rebels earlier this week.
“The UAE is currently carrying out a massive daily humanitarian campaign in the area of the country's Red Sea coast, distributing humanitarian and relief supplies to people who have been suffering as a result of militia-imposed blockades,” reported the Emirates’ state news agency, Wam.
“The humanitarian assistance being provided by the Emirates Red Crescent includes the distribution of around 2,000 food baskets to local residents.”
Al Hassan Tahir, governor of Hodeidah, thanked the UAE for its role in liberating the district of Haiys.
He told Wam that liberating the district “paves the way to the liberations of other provinces in Hodeidah”.
The victory in Haiys is the latest advance in a campaign to retake the rebel-held port of Hodeidah, which the coalition says the Iran-backed Houthis are using to smuggle in weapons and launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Control of the district will enable government forces to cut off the rebels' supply route from Hodeidah to the neighbouring province of Taez, where coalition-backed government forces are fighting the insurgents on several fronts.
