The second phase of the Operation Golden Arrow to liberate Aden from the Houthis will start within hours, well-placed sources said.

Communications are being cut from Maalla, Tawahi and Crater where there is low Houthis and pro-Saleh majority, the sources said.

The offensive, called Operation Golden Arrow, is the first major advance by the loyalists since Houthi rebels entered the port city in March, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.