Yemen truce gets off to shaky start with clashes reported
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A ceasefire between Iran-backed Houthis and pro-government forces in Yemen got off to a shaky start, with clashes reported early on Monday.
The Shiite Houthi militias reportedly breached the ceasefire, with reports of heavy clashes in the eastern part of the Yemeni city of Taiz, Al Arabiya reported on its website.
Mohammad al-Kamari, a resident in Taiz told Al Arabiya in a phone interview that the Houthis violated the ceasefire and began attacking the pro-government resistance forces in Taiz.
Al Arabiya said that shelling could be heard in the background during the phone interview with Kamari, who said he first heard the gunfire at 2200 GMT, and later heard heavy heaving shelling near his home.
The Houthi rebels vowed to respect the ceasefire that began at midnight on Sunday, joining other combatants in supporting the truce, which comes ahead of new UN-backed talks to end more than a year of war.
A Saudi-led coalition that has been backing the pro-government forces by bombing the Houthis – effectively in a proxy war between Tehran and Riyadh – has also pledged to respect the truce.
The Shiite Houthi militias reportedly breached the ceasefire, with reports of heavy clashes in the eastern part of the Yemeni city of Taiz, Al Arabiya reported on its website.
Mohammad al-Kamari, a resident in Taiz told Al Arabiya in a phone interview that the Houthis violated the ceasefire and began attacking the pro-government resistance forces in Taiz.
Al Arabiya said that shelling could be heard in the background during the phone interview with Kamari, who said he first heard the gunfire at 2200 GMT, and later heard heavy heaving shelling near his home.
The Houthi rebels vowed to respect the ceasefire that began at midnight on Sunday, joining other combatants in supporting the truce, which comes ahead of new UN-backed talks to end more than a year of war.
A Saudi-led coalition that has been backing the pro-government forces by bombing the Houthis – effectively in a proxy war between Tehran and Riyadh – has also pledged to respect the truce.