"We are doing everything we can through diplomatic channels to discourage an assault on Hodeidah. However despite these actions,a military assault now looks imminent,"Britain's Department for International Development (Dfid) said in an email to aid groups.
"It could still be that a negotiated solution is found,"Burt said.
The UK,like the United States,sells weapons to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia and provides logistical support for their military coalition in Yemen. But Burt resisted calls from British opposition MPs to halt arms supplies or to ensure that weapons were not used in the Hodeidah attack.
UN officials believedthe US will play the deciding role in whether or not the attack goes ahead and that the UAE would not move forward without a green light from the White House.
"So far they have a blinking yellow light from the US,"one official said. Mike Pompeo,the US secretary of state,said he was"closely following"the situation but did not call for the UAE to hold fire.
In Washington,bipartisan efforts were however underway in the Senate to warn the Emirates and its ally in Yemen,Saudi Arabia,that the military assault could result in the United States cutting off funding for aerial refueling,which has been crucial to the Saudi air campaign there.
Although the Trump administration has developed close ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE,many members of Congress and international diplomats blame the two countries for exacerbating what the UN says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis with indiscriminate attacks that have been responsible for thousands of civilian deaths.
Diplomats in the region said that only pressure from Washington,which sells tens of millions of dollars of weapons to the UAE and to Saudi Arabia every year,could stop the assault.
The two Arab countries'close relationships with the White House — and the deep divisions in Washington — have emboldened them to push ahead with their own agendas,including the war in Yemen.
Dr Mariam Aldogani,a field manager for Save the Children,said two medical facilities had already closed as the UAE forces approached the southern edge of Hodeidah."People are afraid,"she said."If they attack it will be a disaster."
Around 22 million people in Yemen are dependent on aid,with at least 8 million on the verge of famine,according to the UN.
There was no immediate response from the Emirati government about the attack plan.
New York Times,'Telegraph,London