Houthi attacks draw new coalition strikes

Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched new strikes on Houthi positions in south Yemen on Thursday in response to an attack carried out by the militia and its allies, raising concerns about peace prospects and driving up oil prices.
Informed sources in Dhalie said the Houthi forces had obliterated the house of Col. Mosleh Al-Oudi, a pro-government military officer. “Houthi tanks were firing haphazardly in Jalilah region, causing serious injuries to two citizens,” one source said.
Yemeni political analyst Mohammed Jumaih said he expected the Houthis to accept the UN resolution 2216 without any further pressure. “It’s an opportunity for them and the ball is in their court,” he said.
Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh left Yemen early Wednesday and an official announcement over the deposed leader’s departure from the country is expected shortly, the local Yemen 24 website cited high-level sources in Riyadh as saying.
The sources added that it was agreed for Saleh and his family to leave Yemen but the destination is still unknown.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon meanwhile informed the Security Council that he plans to appoint Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as his new envoy to Yemen, replacing Morocco’s Jamal Benomar.
Saudi Ambassador to the US Adel Al-Jubeir told reporters in Washington: “The Kingdom will do anything necessary to protect the people of Yemen and the legitimate government of Yemen. Having Yemen fail cannot be an option for us or our coalition partners.” Meanwhile, at least 23 Yemeni rebels were killed in fresh coalition airstrikes Thursday in the southern town of Daleh, a Yemeni official said.
In Taez, meanwhile, a Red Cross official said his team retrieved the bodies of 10 pro-government soldiers thought to have died when rebels overran a loyalist base there.
Speaking to AFP, the official said there were more bodies but that the Red Cross team was being denied access to the site by the Houthi rebels in the area.
Several rebel positions in schools and public buildings were “razed” by airstrikes in Daleh as well as in the nearby province of Lahj, said Nasser Al-Shuaibi, a leader of armed groups loyal to President Abed Rubbo Mansour Hadi.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassine said there was no communication between the government and the Houthis. “There can be no communication until they put their weapons aside,” he told reporters during a visit to Bahrain, adding talks could start only when the Houthis withdrew from all cities and the situation stabilized.