Yemen: Coalition strikes continue to batter Houthi-held Hodeidah

This still image taken from video provided by Arab 24 shows Saudi-led forces fighting to retake the international airport of Yemen's rebel-held port city of Hodeida from the Shiite Houthi rebels Saturday

Battles continued outside Hodeida and coalition forces were working to cut off the main road that connects the port city to the capital, Sanaa.

The United Nations says the assault on Hodeidah could trigger a starvation, imperilling millions of lives.

"The military operations to liberate the city of Hodeida will not be stopped until we secure the city and its strategic port and that won't last too long", he said.

Yemeni media reported more than 500 Houthis were killed since the army and the coalition launched an offensive on Hodeidah on Wednesday.

Each side holds various parts of the airport.

The Yemeni army on Saturday claimed it had seized control of the rebel base at Hodeida's disused airport, which has been closed since 2014.

On Friday, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis that acknowledged reports that the us denied the UAE's request for "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance" support for the Hodeida operation but still demanded answers about the USA military's ongoing assistance to the Saudi-led coalition. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a deadly military operation to capture Hudaydah after almost a month of sporadic clashes.

Brooks Koepka wins second straight U.S. Open

We call on you to immediately disclose the full extent of the USA military role in the Saudi-led war against Yemen's Houthis, including the use of special operations forces; disclose any role that the Pentagon is now performing, has been asked to perform, or is considering performing regarding an attack on the port of Hodeida; and issue a public declaration opposing this impending assault and restating the administration's position that Saudi Arabia and other parties to the conflict should accept an immediate ceasefire and move toward a political settlement to resolve the conflict. They are more suited than coalition forces for guerrilla warfare, should fighting extend to Hodeidah's densely populated neighbourhoods.

Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi has urged his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a "quagmire" for the Saudi-led coalition troops.

Riyadh has accused the Houthis of using Hodeidah port to smuggle Iranian-made weapons, including missiles used to target Saudi cities - accusations denied by the group and Tehran.

Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks between the rebels and the Hadi government have failed to find a solution to the conflict.

Griffiths, whose talks in Sanaa have been largely kept under wraps, is believed to be pressing the Houthis to cede control of the Red Sea port to a UN-supervised committee that would allow deliveries of commercial goods and aid to continue to flow.

In this context, Mohammed al-Sharif, deputy head of Yemen's civil aviation, said images circulated online about the airport had been taken in October 2016.

More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations, which has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Related News:

18 June 2018

Kohli, Dhoni take fitness test at NCA
Before this, Mohamed Shami failed the test and was dropped from India's squad for the one-off Test versus Afghanistan. Nearly all the players including skipper Virat Kohli have comfortably cleared the qualifying mark for the Yo-Yo test .

Aleksandar Kolarov scores stunning free-kick against Costa Rica
Soon, a cross-field ball on the right aimed to pick out Kolarov ventured into the box but Navas came to the rescue once again. The goal wouldn't have counted, as Milinkovic-Savic was offside, but it was a attractive effort nonetheless.

18 June 2018

Toyota wins the 2018 Le Mans 24hrs!
Toyota had to overcome a 60-second penalty earned by Buemi for speeding in a slow zone to triumph at the 19th attempt. Alonso strapped himself in and incredibly managed to claw back a huge deficit to give the #8 auto a fighting chance.
18 June 2018

Pakistani Taliban Leader Reportedly Killed In Drone Strike
There are differences between the Pakistan and Afghanistan Taliban, notably in their origins but also in outlook. The US military said on Thursday it carried out a strike targeting a senior militant leader in Afghanistan .

18 June 2018

Melania Trump 'hates to see' children separated from their families
A bipartisan 2008 law merely gave the government flexibility in processing border-crossing immigrants". He said that neither him nor the president "like to see children taken away from their parents".

18 June 2018

Magnitude 6.1 quake kills three, stops factories in Japan's Osaka area
The Japan Meteorological Agency has updated the magnitude of the quake to 6.1, stronger than the initial 5.9 magnitude. Japanese disaster authorities say more than 90 people were injured in the strong quake in Osaka on Monday morning.
18 June 2018

Justin Trudeau's approval rating increased after spat with Donald Trump
The government's program also pledged to "protect the highest-quality products of Made in Italy". "Doubts over this agreement are shared by many of my European colleagues", he added.

18 June 2018

20 hurt in mass shooting at New Jersey art festival
Numerous 22 understood to be injured were treated for gunshot wounds, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning. Officials say a carjacking occurred shortly after the mass shooting and are investigating whether or not it is related.

18 June 2018

Mexico's World Cup goal against Germany may have triggered 'artificial earthquake'
The Ticos are hoping to improve on their finish at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they advanced to the quarterfinals. Our Lee Seung-jae has the rundown of all the action starting with the day's big shocker: Germany versus Mexico .
18 June 2018

Tesco reports solid first quarter sales growth
The group delivered positive like-for-like growth for a tenth consecutive quarter, with an improvement of 1.8%. As a group, underlying sales growth was 1.8 percent, its strongest quarterly performance since 2011.

18 June 2018

McGregor in plea negotiations following bus melee
McGregor is accused of throwing something through the window of the bus, according to an NYPD source with knowledge of the event. McGregor arrived alongside teammate and cohort Cian Cowley for the bus attack that almost ruined an entire PPV back at UFC 223.

2 feared dead after natural disaster hits Osaka in western Japan
The Yomiuri Shimbun An estimated magnitude-5.9 quake occurred in Osaka Prefecture at about 7: 58 a.m. Train service was suspended across a wide area during the morning commute.