Updated

Yemeni forces battling the Shiite rebels in the country's south say they have taken control of the airport in the strategic port city of Aden and that they have driven the rebels into a part of the city jutting out into the sea.

The advance is a major blow for the rebels, known as Houthis, basically trapping them on the small peninsula.

Ali al-Ahmadi, the spokesman for the city's anti-rebel forces known as Aden Resistance Leadership Council, says the operation was coordinated with the Saudi-led coalition.

The coalition has been targeting the Iran-allied Houthis since March in a bid to stop their power grab across Yemen.

Rebel officials refused to comment on the developments.

Also on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes in the capital, Sanaa.