SANAA, Yemen >> Saudi-led forces fought to retake the international airport of Yemen’s rebel-held port city of Hodeida, Yemeni officials and witnesses said on Saturday, as their Shiite Houthi rebel rivals denied the coalition had seized the facility that is the starving nation’s main gateway for food shipments. With battles raging at the southern side of al-Hodeida International Airport, the military of Yemen's exiled government said it had entirely seized the facility, and that engineers were working to clear mines from nearby areas just south of the city of some 600,000 people on the Red Sea. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> Fighting resumed Thursday around the Yemen port city of Hodeida as a Saudi-led coalition tries to retake it from Shiite rebels known as Houthis. However, the Houthi-run Al Masirah satellite news channel aired footage it described as being from near Hodeida showing a burned-out truck, corpses of irregular fighters and a damaged Emirati armoured vehicle. The Saudi-led coalition, which is allied with Yemen's internationally recognized government, launched an offensive Wednesday aimed at driving Iran-allied Houthi rebels from the port, which is the main entry point for food and aid to the war-torn country. The Saudi-led coalition began its assault on Wednesday and Emirati forces are leading ground forces combined with their own troops, irregular militiamen and soldiers backing Yemen's exiled government. Saudi Arabia has provided air support, with targeting guidance and refueling coming from the U.S.

United Nations special envoy Martin Griffiths, meanwhile arrived in Sanaa in an effort to broker a cease-fire. Image: Yemenis visit the graves of relatives at a cemetery in Sanaa on 15 June

Aid groups and the United Nations cautioned the coalition from launching the assault amid fears that a drawn-out conflict could force a shutdown of Hodeida's port at a time when a halt in aid risks tipping millions into starvation. About 70% of Yemen's food enters the country through the port, as well as the bulk of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies. Around two-thirds of the country's population of 27 million relies on aid and 8.4 million are already at risk of starving. We also call on all parties to protect health workers and their facilities from harm, as well as to ensure unimpeded access for medical teams seeking to treat the wounded.”

For its part, the Saudi-led coalition says it had no choice but to launch the assault as the port provided millions of dollars for the Houthis through customs controls. Saudis near victory in battle for key Yemeni port

They also say the Houthis have been using the port to smuggle weapons through, although UN experts have said this is "unlikely" as incoming ships require UN permission and are randomly searched. The UN and Western governments say Iran has supplied the Houthis with weapons ranging from assault rifles to the ballistic missiles they have fired deep into Saudi Arabia, including at the capital, Riyadh. Image: Yemeni pro-government forces gather at the south of Hodeida airport

This has blocked a key exit out of the city and made it more difficult to transport goods from the port. The coalition has blocked most ports, letting supplies into Hodeida in coordination with the UN The air campaign and fighting have disrupted other supply lines, causing an economic crisis that makes food too expensive for many to afford. He added that the UAE and the Saudi-led coalition went ahead with the campaign despite knowing that international aid agencies fear it could lead to a humanitarian crisis. Battle for key port in Yemen begins amid warnings from aid agencies

Thousands remain trapped in the city and around the airport because of the fighting. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015 and has faced criticism for a campaign of airstrikes killing civilians and destroying hospitals and markets.
Saudi Arabian-led coalition troops seize control of Hodeida International Airport in Al Hudaydah after driving out Houthi forces. Around 280 people have been reportedly killed in the last four days inside the Yemeni port city.