SANAA, Yemen -- Preparations are underway by the Saudi-led coalition, United Arab Emirates forces, and thousands of Yemeni fighters to seize control of the airport of the vital rebel-held Yemeni city of Hodeida from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who are digging in, field commanders said.
Coalition warplanes bombed Houthi positions while rebels said in an official statement that they fired a ballistic missile at an enemy concentration, but gave no report of causalities.
The fighting comes at a time Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that comes at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. However in Hodeida, people are stocking up on food for fear of an imminent siege, and streets are empty except for beggars and fighters.
Meanwhile, Yemeni officials said dozens of pro-government fighters have been killed mainly from land mines and roadside bombs disguised as rocks and sometimes sacks of wheat. On the other side, bodies of Houthi fighters were strewn across the front lines. Officials estimate that the death toll reached 280 in two days of fighting since the offensive began Wednesday.
Ahmed al-Kawkabani, a Yemeni who leads a force known as the Tohama Brigade, said his forces are currently positioned in Dawar al-Hodeida, Arabic for "Hodeida roundabout." Another Yemeni commander, Abu Zarah al-Mahrami, was quoted by Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV network as saying that pro-government forces are "within meters" of the airport.
Military officials said preparations are underway to make a final push to take over the airport and that the ground battles had largely subsided by sunset. They said the assault on the airport should start at dawn.
"The distance separating us from the Houthis, is between 5 to 10 kilometers," one military official said. A second said the military operation will be hard and "complicated" because the aim is to protect airport facilities, buildings and nearby fighter jets. Houthis will depend on snipers and land mines to slow down the multipronged advance.
The assault began Wednesday to seize Hodeida's vital Red Sea port, known as the "mouth of Yemen" because it's the entry point of most of the country's imports and United Nations humanitarian aid.
The Saudi-led coalition accuses the Houthis of using the port to smuggle weapons and missiles from Iran. The rebels have been raining ballistic missiles down on Saudi cities from across the border. The port is also a lucrative source of revenue for the Houthis, who have controlled most of Yemen's north since 2014.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the battle over Hodeida is essential to break a stalemate in the war, which otherwise could drag on for years.
Seizing the port "means that the Houthis will no longer be able to impose their will at the barrel of a gun," he said in a post on Twitter. "If they keep Hodeida and its revenues and its strategic location, the war will last a long time and [add to] the suffering of the Yemeni people."
The Saudi-led coalition has imposed an air, sea and land embargo on Yemen since March 2015, aiming to dislodge the Houthis from cities they control, paralyzing trade and access to the country. The coalition air campaign and Houthi bombardment have left more than 10,000 people dead and 2 million displaced, and devastated the country's already fragile infrastructure, including the health sector, which has helped spawn a cholera epidemic.
The coalition's blockade and fighting have disrupted other supply lines, causing an economic crisis that makes food too expensive for many to afford.
International aid agencies and the United Nations have warned the assault could shut down the vital aid route for some 70 percent of Yemen's food, as well as the bulk of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies. Around two-thirds of Yemen's population of 27 million relies on aid, and 8.4 million are already at risk of starving.
Meanwhile the U.S., which backed the Saudi-led coalition over the past years with intelligence, logistical support and air-to-air refueling of fighter jets, has not publicly opposed the assault but has urged the coalition to ensure that humanitarian aid deliveries to the port continue.
Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations Security Council on Friday to warn the warring parties that they will face sanctions if they fail to provide civilians access to desperately needed aid.
"The coalition and Houthi forces, now fighting for Hodeida, have atrocious records abiding by the laws of war," said Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch.
The rights group called on all parties of the conflict to minimize civilian harm during the fight for Hodeida.
In the face of international concerns over the humanitarian situation, the UAE said on Friday that it has started sending aid by air and sea to Hodeida, the state-run WAM news agency said. At least 10 UAE ships carrying 13,500 tons of food and aid, as well as three flights, were planned for Hodeida.
WAM said one vessel was due to arrive Friday. The UAE also acknowledged "the port remains open and operational."
Information for this article was contributed by Maggie Michael and Thomas Adamson of The Associated Press.
A Section on 06/16/2018