Yemeni armed forces have targeted a UAE warship off the country’s western coast, the Yemeni National Salvation Government said in a statement.

The UAE warship was hit on Wednesday shortly after Saudi-led troops began a major operation to bring Hodeidah under their control, Abdulsalam Jaber, the spokesman of the national salvation government, said.

He added that Saudi-led helicopters rushed to save the forces aboard the vessel, which is now burning near Yemen’s coastline.

A second battleship left the site following the incident, it added, according to al-Masdar News.

Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, there are signs that the US military is deepening its role in the assault on Hodeidah, in spite of UN warnings of massive human casualties. Washington, the paper says, is providing its Gulf allies with intelligence on airstrike targets in the port.

It cited American military officials as saying that the US is helping the UAE develop a list of targets meant to be off limits for airstrikes on Hudaydah, with an apparent aim to minimize civilian casualties.

Source: Tasnim News Agency