DUBAI- A Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-aligned Houthis for control of Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah will take a "calculated and gradual" approach to the battle, a senior United Arab Emirates official said on Monday.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the military alliance led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE was taking into consideration a "fragile humanitarian situation", avoiding civilian casualties in addition to military calculations.

Gargash, speaking to reporters in Dubai, estimated the number of Houthi fighters in Hodeidah at between 2,000 to 3,000. He declined to reveal the size of coalition forces but said they had "numerical superiority".

(Reporting by Katie Paul; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Sami Aboudi) ((ghaida.ghantous@thomsonreuters.com;))