Dozens of Al Houthis killed, held
RED SEA PORT CITY OF HODEIDA USED BY THE MILITANTS TO RECEIVE WEAPONS FROM IRAN
Yemeni forces assisted by Arab coalition press on with their campaign to liberate Hodeida city and port |
At least 70 Al Houthi militants have been killed in air strikes by the Saudi-led Arab coalition along Yemen’s coast near the western province of Hodeida, field sources said yesterday as forces of the internationally-recognised government pressed on to liberate the strategic Red Sea port city.
More than 20 Al Houthi insurgents were captured by government forces near Hodeida in mop-up operations in the area, according to the Dubai-based television Al Arabia.
An Al Houthi arms cache hidden there was also seized.
In recent weeks, government forces, supported by the coalition’s air power, have advanced on Hodeida, which is a major port for Yemen.
The port is used by Al Houthis to receive weapons smuggled in by Iran.
Crucial to ending the war
Capturing the port would severely cripple the militants and analysts believe it could mark the beginning of the end of the war.
The resistance forces, backed by the Arab Coalition, late Saturday recaptured resorts on the outskirts of Hodeida, the capital of the province, from the Al Houthis. Yemeni forces have made headway in fighting Al Houthis on the Red Sea coast north of Hayes and in the eastern areas of Al Mashrai and Al Madman, UAE news agency WAM reported.
Following coalition air strikes, Al Houthi militia lines collapsed, with their forces fleeing the front leaving behind their belongings, weapons and the bodies of those who had been killed, the agency added.
On the outskirts of Hodeida, Arab Coalition fighters continue to press the Al Houthis, forcing many of them to flee to the mountains.
Backed by the UAE Armed Forces, Yemen’s joint resistance fighters launched a large-scale combing operation across vast swathes in Al Dorihmi area as part of the ongoing build-up to liberate Hodeidah.