Rebel allies okay ceasefire after ex-Yemen president’s house hit

Renegade Yemeni troops who have helped Shiite rebels to seize much of the country said on Sunday that they had accepted a Saudi proposal for a ceasefire later this week.

“Following mediation from friendly countries to establish a humanitarian truce that would end the tyrannical blockade and permit commercial ships to reach Yemeni ports and allow humanitarian aid in, we announce our agreement to the humanitarian truce,” spokesman Colonel Sharaf Luqman told the rebel-controlled Saba news agency.

Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition on Sunday bombed the residence of Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh early Sunday, following a night of intensive strikes against rebel positions, witnesses said.

Two air raids struck Saleh’s house in central Sanaa, witnesses said. Yemen’s former strongman is believed to be outside the capital.

There was still no word from the rebels themselves on any acceptance of the proposal by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for a five-day ceasefire starting from Tuesday.

The raids came after the Saudi-led coalition ordered civilians in rebel strongholds to flee by nightfall Friday and declared the entire region a “military target.” It warned it will strike anything in the region, even as they Saudis pressed for the ceasefire to begin next week.

Jubeir announced in Paris last week that a cease-fire aimed at allowing humanitarian aid to reach Yemen’s embattled population of 25 million would begin Tuesday — but on the condition that the Shiite rebels and their allies also halt hostilities.

Saleh, who stepped down in February 2012 following a year of deadly nationwide protests against his three-decade rule, is accused of siding with the Houthi insurgents, who have rebelled against UN-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Troops still loyal to Saleh have fought alongside the rebels, who overran the capital unopposed in September and have since extended the areas under their control.

Riyadh formed an Arab coalition in support of Hadi, who has fled to Saudi Arabia, and launched strikes in late March against Houthi rebels as they closed in on his refuge in the southern city of Aden.

The coalition bombed the Houthi northern strongholds in Sanaa overnight Saturday as Saudi Arabia pledged to punish rebels for deadly cross-border bombings that hit Saudi towns.

Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Ali Asiri, the coalition spokesman, said in a televised press conference Saturday night that the strikes targeted multiple buildings belonging to Houthi leadership, weapons stores and rebel encampments in the region bordering Saudi Arabia.

He accused the Houthis of preventing area residents from leaving the area under fire. Several tribal officials said the Houthis were making it difficult for residents to leave by removing petrol from the market and using it instead for their war effort.

Houthi spokesman Hamed al-Bokheiti denied the accusation, and said that on the contrary, the Houthis opened camps in Yemen’s capital Sanaa to receive refugees and those who remain in Saada are people who refused to leave.

“Saada is living a day of complete humanitarian catastrophe,” said al-Bokheiti, adding that the airstrikes have damaged the area’s historic Imam Hadi Mosque.

More than 20 raids targeted Marran, a small mountain town where the Houthis originated, security officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

In a posting on its Twitter account Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said: “With or without advanced warning, direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects are prohibited.”

The Saudi-led offensive in support of embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, which started March 26, aims to diminish the military capabilities of the Houthis.

The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 1,400 people since March 19, by airstrikes and fighting on the ground. Humanitarian organizations say they face severe difficulties delivering aid to citizens affected by the ongoing conflict, because of the violence, a severe fuel shortage and difficulty accessing warehouses.

In a report released Sunday, Human Rights Watch said the coalition may have used cluster bombs in previous airstrikes in Saada. It said satellite imagery indicates the munitions landed “within 600 meters of several dozen buildings in four to six village clusters.” Cluster bombs spread dozens of bomblets over a wide area, which can kill or maim civilians long after a conflict ends.