UPDATE - Houthi rebels violate Yemen truce: Saudi-led coalition

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA / WASHINGTON (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition has accused Houthi rebels of violating a two-day cease-fire that went into effect Saturday in war-torn Yemen.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told Doha-based Al-Jazeera channel that 180 breaches of the truce had been registered since the cease-fire came into force at noon (0900 GMT).

The spokesman said Houthi rebels 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 cease-fire 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.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the two-day truce and announcements by all sides to commit to “a renewable Cessation of Hostilities”.

He called on all sides to abide by their commitment to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and to help “create the conditions for advancing the peace talks.

“We are mindful that reaching a durable and lasting settlement to this conflict requires compromise and concessions, and we encourage all parties to seek that compromise with a focus on the good of their country and a better future for the Yemeni people,” Kerry said in a statement.

Washington Correspondent Kasim Ileri contributed to this report.