The port had been held by Iranian-backed Houthi militiamen, which have been the target of the Saudi-led coalition’s air campaign since March 26.

“The naval base was bombed by aircraft and ships. Large parts of it were destroyed and two warships were hit, and one of them, named Bilqis, was destroyed and sank onto its side, and five gunboats shelled the administrative buildings of the base,” an official told Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, residents of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa reported air strikes on military camps loyal to the group on Wednesday.

The jets on Wednesday targeted the command headquarters of special forces loyal to Saleh in southern Sanaa, as well as an arms depot in Fajj Attan, a neighbourhood overlooking the capital, residents said.

An official from the rebel-held health ministry told AFP that “36 soldiers and officers were killed and 100 others were wounded” in the raids, raising an earlier toll of 15 dead.

Houthi forces meanwhile shelled the southern city of Aden, a bastion of resistance against their advances into Yemen’s south, and local fighters built on gains against the Houthis in recent days by seizing their last military post in the nearby city of Dalea.

The United Nations said on Tuesday U.N.-backed negotiations which were set for May 28 in Geneva had been postponed.

“The secretary-general is disappointed that it has not been possible to commence such an important initiative at the soonest possible date and reiterates his call for all parties to engage in United Nations-facilitated consultations in good faith and without preconditions,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

The U.N. estimates that at least 1,037 civilians, including 130 women and 234 children, have been killed in the fighting.