Yemeni forces gaining ground at Hodeidah Airport

Residents said battles were also raging on the coastal road leading to the city centre

As Yemeni and Arab coalition forces battle to retake Hodeidah airport, plans are being made to cut off the main road into the city if the Houthi rebels refuse to withdraw. Arab 24 via AP

Yemen government troops, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, stormed Hodeidah airport on Tuesday and seized large parts of it from the Houthi rebels.

Residents of the strategic Red Sea city said battles were also raging on the coastal road leading to the densely populated city centre from the airport, with Apache helicopter gunships providing air support.

Taking the airport would be a major step forward for the coalition and a blow to the Iran-aligned Houthis, who hold the city.

"Many members of the Houthi militias escaped," Wam reported. "Dozens of rebels, including field commanders, had been injured or killed during the operation."

Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya reported that some rebels had fled in the direction of the Red Sea and left behind scores of injured fighters.

"The Yemeni army is not allowing journalists into the compound until it is safe and they remove landmines [planted by the Houthis]," Al Arabiya said.

Earlier, Yemen military sources said the troops entered the main compound of the airport.

"They have stormed the airport," one source said, adding that they came through after fierce battles broke out early in the morning between forces loyal to Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and the Houthis.

UAE state media also reported on Tuesday that government troops have taken full control of the Al Manar village, west of Hodeidah's airport.

The coalition launched an offensive on Hodeidah on June 13 to drive out the Houthis.

Tuesday’s gains came after UN peace envoy Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council behind closed doors on his framework for peace talks in Yemen.

Mr Griffiths had just returned from a two-day trip to Sanaa, where he held talks with the Houthi leadership, however one senior Houthi leader dismissed the envoy's efforts. Dhaifullah Al Shami, tweeted on Tuesday that "the envoy failed to achieve his goal and left Sanaa disappointed".

A first round of preliminary talks could take place next month to restart negotiations on a political transition, Mr Griffiths told the council, according to two diplomats in the chamber.

Following the meeting, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said council members renewed their call for the port at Hodeidah, the entry point for vital aid deliveries and commercial goods, to remain open.

Fierce fighting this month has displaced 5,200 families, mostly from districts south of the city, UN officials said, adding that the number of those fleeing the violence was expected to rise.

Coalition officials have said they will do everything possible to minimise casualties from the offensive, called Operation Golden Victory.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash said the assault aimed "to help the UN envoy in his last chance to convince the Houthis to withdraw unconditionally from the city and avoid any confrontation".

"If this does not happen, be assured we are determined to achieve our targets," he said on Monday. "This is not the time to negotiate."

The Yemeni government and the coalition say the Houthis must completely withdraw from the city and hand over control to the UN.

However, the rebels have so far only agreed to share control with the UN of the key port.

UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told the council that so far, the humanitarian impact had been limited, diplomats said.

Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al Malki said on Monday it was only a matter of time before Yemen government forces take control of the Hodeidah airport.

''The chaotic militia is dying, and in its worst condition,'' the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted him as saying.

The Houthis seized control of Sanaa in September 2014, later pushing south toward the port city of Aden. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015.