(UTV|COLOMBO) – Saudi-backed forces have begun an assault on the key Yemeni port of Hudaydah, which is held by rebels, the BBC reported.
Hudaydah is the main point of entry for aid in Yemen’s three-year civil war and agencies have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if it is attacked.
More than seven million people in the war-torn country are dependent on aid.
Bombing started after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels ignored a deadline set by the exiled government to withdraw by midnight on Tuesday (12).
The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network reported that the “liberation” of Hudaydah had begun with a large-scale ground assault supported by air and naval cover.
Explosions were heard on the outskirts of the port city, it added.
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