Yemen govt forces enter Hodeida airport

UAE-backed Yemeni government forces fought their way into Hodeida airport on Tuesday, pressing an offensive that has seen some of the most intense fighting of a three-year war against Huthi Shiite rebels.

The United Arab Emirates, which has US-trained troops fighting alongside the Yemeni army, said the alliance had entered the airport in Hodeida – a Red Sea port city that is a key aid hub and the entry point for three-quarters of Yemen’s imports.

“With the participation and support of the Emirati armed forces, the joint Yemeni resistance [army] entered Hodeida airport,” the UAE state news agency WAM tweeted.

A Yemeni military source confirmed to AFP that troops had entered the rebel base at the disused airport on the southern edge of the city.

The battle for Hodeida has sparked fears of a new escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which is already teetering on the brink of famine.

The United Nations has warned that any attack on Hodeida port could cripple shipments of desperately needed aid to the 8.4 million Yemenis facing imminent starvation.

Hodeida’s residents are now bracing for what they fear will be devastating street fighting, as tanks and buses carrying uniformed troops roll through the empty streets of the oncebustling city.

One resident, who asked not to be identified for fear of arrest, said civilians had been “banned from using their phones to take pictures and are questioned about their movements if they’re seen in the streets.”