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The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it attacked Sanaa International Airport and an adjoining airbase being used by Houthi insurgents, as the two warring sides also clashed further west in the country’s main port city.
The violence broke out days after renewed U.S. calls for a ceasefire in the three-and-half-year war that the Saudi-backed government suggested it was ready to support.
Houthi forces were using the airbase in the capital to launch drone and ballistic missile attacks, a coalition spokesman told Saudi state al-Ekhbaria TV on Friday.
Flights and international aid efforts were not affected, Colonel Turki al-Malki said.
Al-Masirah TV, which is controlled by the Houthis, said more than 30 air strikes targeted al-Dulaimi Air Base in Sanaa and the surrounding areas.
In the port of Hodeidah, fighting broke out early on Friday in a southern district, residents and military sources said.
The coalition had massed thousands of troops near the city on Wednesday, in a move to pressure the Iran-aligned Houthis to return to U.N.-sponsored peace talks.
The sources in Hodeidah said fighting was heard in areas near the airport and the university, and Apache helicopters were spotted in the sky.
Forces loyal to the Saudi-backed government have said coalition strikes were intensified on Thursday night on Houthi bases near the eastern entrance to the port city, which is a gateway to the capital, and in its southern part.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman described slain columnist Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist in a call with top Donlald Trump administration officials, the Washington Post reported Thursday.The comments were made during a call with National Security Advisor John Bolton and the president's senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner before Riyadh acknowledged it killed Khashoggi, the newspaper reported.Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, sought to portray Khashoggi as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist group originating in Egypt that has been the focus of criticism for some in the Trump administration, including Bolton.Germany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and KhashoggiA Saudi official denied the comments were made.But the reported comments, if true, stand in stark contrast to public statements made by the kingdom as it produced a shifting narrative over Khashoggi's disappearance before ultimately acknowledging he was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul amid international outcry.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News that Khashoggi's death was a "terrible mistake" while simultaneously lamenting the "terrible tragedy."Arab media covers Turkey's Khashoggi statement"This was an operation where individuals ended up exceeding the authorities and responsibilities they had. They made the mistake when they killed Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate and they tried to cover up for it," he said.Reports had indicated the kingdom was planning to blame Khashoggi's death on rogue agents before it ultimately acknowledged he was killed in the consulate. Saudi Arabia has yet to explain its shifting narrative on Khashoggi's disappearance, nor has Riyadh produced his body after several reports said he was dismembered in the diplomatic facility.Saudi prince paying price for Khashoggi killingThe Istanbul Prosecutor's Office said Khashoggi was strangled to death "in a premeditated way" shortly after he entered the consulate to obtain documents for his pending nuptials, adding that his body was disposed of after being dismembered.Senior U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have scoffed at suggestions anyone besides bin Salman could have signed off on the operation.US urges return of Khashoggi's remains to familyWorld media criticize Saudi Arabia's lack of cooperation
Saudi prince disparaged Khashoggi in US calls: report
Germany is still waiting for a transparent and credible investigation from Saudi Arabia into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and is ready to take action in light of new findings, a government spokesman has said.The spokesman, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency that Germany was increasingly concerned over the case as many questions remained unanswered almost a month after Khashoggi's disappearance.“We are now following very closely whether Saudi Arabia is endeavoring to ensure transparency in the clarification of the case and to hold to account those responsible. In light of this development, we are ready to take appropriate action with our international partners,” he said, referring to widespread calls for sanctions against Riyadh.German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman last week and called for a rapid, transparent and credible investigation, stressing that all those responsible must be held accountable.Saudi prince paying price for Khashoggi killing“This appeal to Saudi Arabia remains valid. Saudi Arabia has committed itself to this in several public statements and must now be measured by these statements,” the spokesman said.The German government has also praised Turkey’s efforts to unravel the truth since Khashoggi's disappearance.“The work of the Turkish authorities has played a major role in the investigation of the case to date. The federal government supports all efforts to clarify this case completely,” he stressed.US urges return of Khashoggi's remains to familyJamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.After weeks of denying involvement, the Kingdom admitted last week that Khashoggi had been killed at the consulate but claimed that the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of a plot to murder him.So far, 18 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder. World media criticize Saudi Arabia's lack of cooperationOn Wednesday, Turkish prosecutors announced their preliminary findings, saying Khashoggi was strangled to death in a premeditated killing soon after he entered the Saudi consulate.The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said Khashoggi's body had been disposed of after being dismembered.Saudi authorities have so far claimed that they do not know the whereabouts of his remains.UK: Vigil held for Khashoggi outside Saudi embassyGates Foundation stops backing Saudi charity
Germany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi