Houthis continue to violate UN-brokered truce

Civil Defense personnel assess damage to a building in Najran caused by a rocket attack from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi militia. (SPA)

JAZAN: Houthi militias and their supporters from deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh have continually breached the terms of the UN-mandated Yemen cease-fire during the first two days of its enforcement. 
Rather than bringing calm to the region, the truce, which began on Thursday and was due to last for 72 hours, has seen intensified attacks and the shelling of towns by armed groups.
Journalists from the Saudi Press Agency toured the border on Thursday and Friday and witnessed clear violations of the agreement, which resulted in material damage and injuries in certain locations in Al-Ardah, Al-Harth, Smatah and Al-Tawal.
One reporter, while standing atop a house on Mt. Al-Abadel in Al-Ardah, saw a Katyusha rocket flying.
Husain bin Salem Sulaiman, 63, said the incident occurred at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, but added that this “atrocious and cowardly act” did not succeed in harming his family of 22.
He said this was not the first time his village had been targeted. And he added it won’t be the last time for the villagers who have got used to such attacks and truce violations.
“Despite these acts, the people of the village are determined to take a stand against violence by not leaving their homes, thereby showing their allegiance to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Kingdom.”
Capt. Ibrahim bin Mohammad Al-Khibrani, Civil Defense coordinator, said the last missile that struck a house was accompanied by four other projectiles which fell in an open area, in addition to a fifth one which landed on one of the educational facilities in Al-Hanbakah, situated in the Civil Defense operations area in Al-Ardah. No casualties were reported in these attacks, he said.
There was also an attack on the middle and secondary schools for girls in Debere, but there was only light damage to the outer wall of the school. There were no casualties during this attack, which shows the failure of the Houthis and the round-the-clock violations of the cease-fire by the Iran-backed rebels.
Jazan Civil Defense spokesman announced the death of a man and his daughter in Smatah on Thursday as a result of a Houthi attack.
The Arab coalition supporting the legitimate government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said the number of violations during the first 24 hours of the truce was 124, 81 of which occurred in the Jazan sector, while 692 violations took place inside the Yemeni territory — 124 in Marib, 24 in Subwa, 265 in Taiz, 44 in Al-Daleh, 48 in Hija, 116 in Jouf, 25 in Sanaa, 41 in Al-Baida, and 5 in Aden.
The militias have used different weapons to conduct these attacks, including missiles, projectiles and sharpshooters. The coalition forces assured the public that a military response was given to these attacks within the limits of the rules of engagement as outlined in international law.
Quoting military officials, AFP reported on Saturday that fierce gun battles erupted between Yemeni rebels and pro-government forces along the Saudi border.
Warplanes bombed Houthi missile launchers east of Sanaa late Friday, a military official told AFP.
The air raids came after Patriot missiles shot down two rebel missiles on Thursday over Marib, east of the capital. UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed is liaising with the parties in an attempt to extend the cease-fire in order “to create a conducive environment for a long-lasting peace” in Yemen, he said in a statement.
He met late Friday with Yemen's Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar in Riyadh, Yemeni state media reported. Ahmar said government forces were “exercising restraint” and stressed that there were orders to “abide by the truce and respect UN efforts.” But he accused the rebels of 449 violations within 24 hours after the cease-fire took effect.
Meanwhile, five suspected Al-Qaeda militants including a local chief were killed on Friday in a suspected US drone strike in Marib, a security official said.
They were in a vehicle that was targeted in the Wadi Obeida area.
Washington is the only government to operate drones over Yemen, but the United States rarely releases statements on its long-running bombing campaign against the country's powerful Al-Qaeda branch.