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Coalition Warplanes Hit Yemen Rebels
[An Nahar] Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition have hit rebel positions outside the Yemeni capital Sanaa, witnesses said Friday, after the alliance accused turbans of breaching a shaky ceasefire.The air strikes late Thursday targeted positions of the Iran-backed Huthi turbans at Jebel al-Nabishuaib, on the southwestern outskirts of rebel-held Sanaa, according to witnesses. They said the area hosts bases for air defences controlled by renegade troops loyal to former president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... , who is allied with the Iranian catspaws. The truce, for an initial period of three days, took effect just before midnight on Wednesday to allow aid deliveries in Yemen, where the war has killed thousands and left millions homeless and hungry. The coalition and Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi had vowed to respect the UN-sponsored truce, but accused rebels of violations, while Huthi media accused the alliance of continuing with air strikes. Air raids also targeted rebels in the northern provinces of Jawf and Saada, witnesses and rebel media said. Coalition front man Major General Ahmed Assiri said on Friday that alliance warplanes were only conducting surveillance flights and "reactive" strikes, in response to rebel truce violations. Patriot missiles shot down two rebel missiles fired in Marib, east of Sanaa on Thursday, he said. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 to support Hadi's government after the Huthis overran much of the impoverished country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Five previous truce attempts failed but cautious optimism preceded the current pause after intensified international pressure following an escalation in fighting. Posted by: Fred 2016-10-22 |
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