Saudi-led coalition accuses Houthi rebels of violating ceasefire in Hodeida

Riyadh, Dec 25 (IANS) The Saudi-led military coalition backing the government in Yemen’s civil war on Monday accused the Houthi rebels of repeatedly violating the ceasefire in the strategic port city of Al Hodeida. During a press conference held in the Saudi capital, a spokesperson for the coalition, Turki al-Malki, claimed that the rebels breached the ceasefire for 138 times between Dec.

18, the day it came into force, and Sunday. The spokesperson claimed that the Houthis attacked the army and militia loyal to the government using different kinds of weapons and projectiles, Efe reported. Al-Malki also celebrated the resolution the United Nations Security Council adopted on Friday to back the agreement the government and rebels reached in Sweden on December 13.

The accord entails a ceasefire in the port city disputed by the rebels, who have had it under their control since 2014, and the pro-government troops, which in June launched an offensive to seize it.

The coalition continued its operations in Yemen, but it stressed its commitment towards the ceasefire agreed in the coastal city. The UN mission monitoring the ceasefire, headed by Gen. Patrick Cammaert, arrived in Hodeida on Sunday after meeting with the warring parties in the capital of Sana’a and Aden, the temporary headquarters of the internationally-recognized government.–IANSvc