Government troops storm Hodeidah airport
Yemen government troops backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition stormed Hodeidah airport yesterday and seized large parts of it from the Houthi rebels.
Residents of the Red Sea port 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,” the state news agency Wam reported. “Dozens of rebels, including field commanders, had been injured or killed during the operation.”
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya channel reported that some rebels had fled towards the Red Sea and left scores of injured fighters.
The broadcaster said that the Yemeni army was not allowing journalists into the compound until they had removed landmines planted by the Houthis.
Earlier, Yemen military sources said the troops had entered the main compound of the airport.
“They have stormed the airport,” one source said.
He said that the offensive began after fierce battles broke out early in the morning between the Houthis and
forces loyal to the internationally recognised Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
UAE state media also reported yesterday that government troops had 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. Yesterday’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.
But one senior Houthi leader dismissed the envoy’s efforts. Dhaifullah Al Shami tweeted yesterday 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.
After the meeting, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said council members renewed their call for the port at Hodeidah, which is 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. It said 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.
Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, 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. But the rebels have so far agreed only to share control of the key port with the UN.
UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told the council that the humanitarian effect had been limited, diplomats said.
Arab coalition spokesman Col 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 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 Arab Coalition entered the conflict in March 2015.
If this does not happen, be assured we are determined to achieve our targets DR ANWAR GARGASH Minister of State for Foreign Affairs