Yemeni troops backed by the Arab Coalition on Wednesday launched the battle to liberate Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah from Iran-aligned Houthi insurgents.
The "Golden Victory" operation began after the passing of a deadline set by the United Arab Emirates for the Houthis to quit the sole port under their control.
The media center of the Yemeni Armed Forces said on Twitter that several areas in Hodeidah had already been liberated.
Coalition warplanes were carrying out strikes on Houthi fortifications to support ground operations by Yemeni troops massed south of the Red Sea port, it said.
"The liberation of Hodeidah port is a turning point in our struggle to recapture Yemen from the militias that hijacked it to serve foreign agendas," the Yemeni government said in a statement.
"The liberation of the port is the start of the fall of the Houthi militia and will secure marine shipping in Bab al-Mandab strait and cut off the hands of Iran, which has long drowned Yemen in weapons that shed precious Yemeni blood," it added.
