RIYADH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced Wednesday "liberation" of Hodeidah city after the Houthi militias ignored the grace period for their departure.
The coalition spokesperson, Col. Turki Al Maliki told Al Hadath TV that the militias foiled all political efforts to handover the city.
He said that the coalition forces are progressing in different areas, mainly towards the airport, in which the militias have planted mines. He confirmed that the forces are 6 km away from the airport.
He said that they are avoiding fast progress to protect the safety of civilians. "We have a comprehensive plan to deal with all scenarios on the ground and we have many Houthis hostages."
Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi called on Wednesday the Yemeni army and popular resistance forces aided by Arab coalition to resort to a decisive military action to liberate the city and port of Hodeidah located in western Yemen.
Hadi said the situation in the governorate is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster, which cannot be ignored due to the Houthis actions and stubbornness in resorting to a political solution to put an end to the Yemeni crisis.
