SANAA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Coalition forces led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday stormed Yemen's airport in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah amid fierce resistance from Houthi rebels, pro-Yemeni-government media spokesman Baseem Al-Jenani said.
Al-Jenani said on his Twitter account that the coalition forces, including two Yemeni southern battalions and Sudanese troops backed by military air cover, fought their way into the airport.
The coalition is conducting heavy airstrikes on the airport as its ground troops are advancing, human rights activist Adel Bishr of the local independent al-Saleh Charity Foundation told Xinhua by phone.
On the other side, Bishr said, Houthi fighters are firing back using tanks, adding that "smokes could be seen rising above the airport amid the air strikes and tanks' shelling."
"It is the most powerful offensive launched today, but Houthis are strongly resisting the attack," said Bishr.
The new development on the ground came hours after visiting UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths briefed the UN Security Council on his efforts to cease fire and resume peace talks.
Speaking through video conference from Sanaa, Griffiths told the Security Council that he would launch a first round of peace talks next month, according to a press conference held at the UN headquarters in New York following the closed session.
Griffiths arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday and is expected to leave on Tuesday, according to a Houthi official.
Meanwhile, Saudi-owned Al Arabia television reported that the coalition forces captured the airport. There were no comments yet from Houthi officials.
Losing Hodeidah would bring the rebels to their knees.
Tuesday's assault marked the seventh day since the coalition forces announced their major offensive to capture the port city.
On Monday, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told a press conference in Dubai that the coalition leadership is in contact with Griffiths to secure a deal with Houthis to retreat from Hodeidah.
International humanitarian agencies have warned that an assault on Hodeidah would be a major disaster to the densely populated port city and would block aid supplies to more than 20 million people.
Hodeidah is the only lifeline route of supplying imports and humanitarian aid to the northern Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015. The war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and forced 3 million others out of their homes.
