ADEN, Yemen, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces in Yemen intercepted on Monday evening a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi rebels towards government-controlled areas in Mocha, a military official told Xinhua.
The Patriot missile system of the UAE intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile fired towards bases of the government forces in the Red Sea port city of Mocha, causing no casualties, the local military official said on condition of anonymity.
The UAE forces aborted several Houthi attacks with short-range ballistic missiles against government-controlled areas in the western coast areas of the country during the past weeks.
Meanwhile, fighter jets of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched airstrikes and destroyed heavy armored vehicles including tanks in a number of Houthi-held areas of Hodeidah.
The UAE-backed Yemeni troops continued Monday to make progress against Houthis and regained control of more areas near the historic city of Zabid in Hodeidah following the collapse in ranks of Houthis, local military sources said.
Other Yemeni forces specialized in anti-bomb launched operations to sweep areas that had been captured from Houthis and removed hundreds of landmines, according to the sources.
The UAE armed forces lead the ongoing anti-Houthi military campaign to capture the strategic port city of Hodeidah and actively provides logistics assistance to support forces loyal to the internationally-recognized government.
Additional units of the UAE-backed Yemeni forces left Aden two days ago and headed to join the ongoing armed confrontations against Houthi rebels in Hodeidah province.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthis forced him into exile.
