Houthi rebels violate Yemen truce: Saudi-led coalition

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition has accused Houthi rebels of violating a two-day ceasefire that came into effect on Saturday in war-torn Yemen.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera channel that 180 breaches of the truce had been registered since the ceasefire came into force at 12:00 noon in Yemen’s timing (09:00 GMT) on Saturday.

The spokesman said Houthi rebels had fired a missile into southern Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but declined to give details about casualties or whether the missile had been intercepted.

Asiri, however, said the Saudi-led coalition would abide by the two-day ceasefire.

“We will counter any Houthi attempt to change the military situation on the ground,” he said.

On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said the ceasefire could be renewed if Houthi rebels abided by it and allowed humanitarian aid into rebel-held areas.

Six attempts to reach a cease-fire in war-torn Yemen have failed, including a three-day truce in October that fell apart shortly after coming into effect.

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when Houthi rebels overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

The conflict escalated in March of last year when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a major air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled Saudi-backed government.

Nearly 7,000 people have been killed in the Yemeni conflict — more than half of them civilians — while another three million are estimated to have been displaced amid a spread of malnutrition and disease.

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