DUBAI, United Arab Emirates－Yemeni government forces said they had seized Hodeidah airport from Houthi rebels on Wednesday, in a major step toward retaking the key Red Sea port city.

The Amaleqa brigades, a fighting force backed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, also said in a statement they seized areas on the west and east sides of the airport.

Colonel Turki al-Malki, coalition spokesman, claimed said troops are currently clearing the airport of Houthi landmines. He added in a statement that there were no civilian casualties in the fighting and that after liberation of the airport, the coalition will press the Houthis to accept a political settlement.

Last Wednesday, government forces launched an offensive to clear Hodeidah of rebel fighters who have held it since 2014, raising UN concerns for vital aid shipments and commercial food imports through the city's docks.

The airport lies just 8 kilometers from the city's port, through which three-quarters of Yemen's imports pass, providing a lifeline for some 22 million people dependent on aid.

UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths left Sanaa on Tuesday morning having failed to secure a deal to stop the fighting in Hodeidah.

Griffiths arrived in Sanaa on Saturday in a renewed effort to halt the violence. It was his second official visit to the rebel-held capital in two weeks.

Griffiths on Monday briefed the United Nations Security Council via a video conference from Sanaa, saying he would launch a first round of Yemeni peace talks next month.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen targeting the southern border city of Khamis Mushait, al-Arabiya local news reported.

The missile was the latest in a series of attacks by the Houthis on Saudi cities, mainly the ones near the border.

Most of the missiles are intercepted by Saudi air forces, but a few have fallen into residential areas and caused casualties and damage.

AFP-Xinhua-AP