Yemen Accuses Houthis Of Breaching Cease-Fire

Yemen accused Houthi rebels on Thursday of breaching a newly announced cease-fire.

"The Houthi militia is responding to the calls for cease-fire made by the Arab Coalition with shelling residential areas in Marib and Al-Hodaydah provinces," said Moammar al-Eryani, Yemeni's Minister of Information.

He added that the "escalation which comes after hours of the Arab Coalition announcement of a cease-fire initiative for two weeks," reflected the Houthis' "lack of seriousness."

Al-Eryani also held UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths responsible for the Houthis' escalation.

For their part, the Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of impounding 17 fuel and food supplies' ships from entering the country.

The Houthi-run TV broadcaster al-Masira cited an official in Al-Hodaydah seaport saying the Saudi navy impounded the ships despite them having UN permits.

On Wednesday evening, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition announced a two-week ceasefire in Yemen, which went into effect on Thursday with the possibility of extension.

According to the coalition, the cease-fire supported the call by Griffiths to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Yemen has registered no coronavirus case so far.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara -