Dubai: The Saudi-led coalition fighting to defend the legitimate Yemeni government has announced the end to a ceasefire that began on December 15 citing violations by Iran-backed Al Houthi militants.
In a statement carried by the Saudi state news agency SPA, the command of the coalition said, “The command of the coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen announces the end of the truce in Yemen beginning at 1400 hours local time on Saturday.”
“The command of the coalition has always took great interest in looking to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen and empower the legitimate Yemeni government to restore security and stability to the country. That is why it had agreed to the truce, requested by Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi which was extended. It has always been violated by Al Houthi-Saleh militias,” the statement said.
It added, “Al Houthi-Saleh militias repeatedly violated the truce by launching ballistic missiles towards Saudi cities and border guard centres, blocking relief and medical aid from reaching Yemenis, seizing food and medical aid shipments, shelling residential areas and arresting Yemeni citizens in cities under their control.”
“These acts prove that these militias and their affiliates are not serious and continue to be unconcerned about the lives of civilians, which clearly shows their continuous attempts to take advantage of the truce to make gains.”
On Friday, the Royal Saudi Air Defence destroyed a Scud-type ballistic missile fired from Yemen toward the City of Abha, southwest Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi-led coalition command,
Meanwhile, an official source at the Yemeni Higher Committee for Relief accused United Nations humanitarian agencies of doing enough to address the humanitarian disaster in Yemen. It said that more attention must be given to the deadly siege imposed by Al Houthi militants and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Taiz.
