Hours after Saudi Arabia declared an end to its coalition’s nearly month-long air campaign in Yemen, new airstrikes hit Iran-backed militants and their allies in two cities on Wednesday, and the rebels said they would welcome U.N.-led peace talks in the conflict that has killed more than 900 people.
The continued airstrikes suggested that the U.S.-backed offensive, aimed at restoring Yemen’s internationally recognised President, was entering a new phase in which the Saudi-led military action will be scaled back but not halted completely.
Air raids struck positions held by the rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies in the southern port of Aden and the central city of Taiz, Yemeni officials said. Fighting continued in both areas between the rebels and supporters of exiled President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, a close U.S. ally who fled Yemen on March 25, 2015.
The capital of Sana’a was calm, however, giving residents their most peaceful night in almost four weeks. In the evening, thousands of pro-Houthi demonstrators marched and vowed they would never submit to what they described as “Saudi-American aggression”.
The Shia rebels are backed by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, an autocrat who ruled the impoverished but strategic country for three decades until he was removed amid a 2011 Arab Spring uprising. His military forces have aided the rebels who advanced from the north and control much of Yemen, including Sana’a.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies began the air campaign March 26, 2015, aimed at crushing the Houthis and allied military units loyal to Mr. Saleh. The Saudis believe the rebels are tools for Iran to take control of Yemen. Iran has provided political and humanitarian support to the Houthis, but both Tehran and the rebels deny it has armed them.
The airstrikes in Taiz hit the rebels as they gathered at a military headquarters they control near the old airport southeast of the city, officials said. Also targeted was Aden, where warplanes blasted rebel forces in outlying districts.
Street fighting continued in both cities, especially Taiz, where officials said pro-government forces control most of the city, and dozens were killed on both sides. In Aden, rebels fired mortars, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to journalists.
At least 944 people were killed and 3,500 wounded since the coalition airstrikes began March 26, the World Health Organization said. It also has created an escalating humanitarian crisis, with dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine.
The rebels and their allies have lost little ground, and Mr. Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia. Aden, where he had established a temporary capital before fleeing, is gripped by fierce fighting. Al-Qaeda’s powerful local affiliate has exploited the chaos to seize the southeastern port city of Mukalla.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia declared “Decisive Storm” over and announced the start of a more limited military campaign aimed at preventing the rebels from operating.
At a news conference in Riyadh, coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said the heavy airstrikes would be scaled down, but did not confirm whether they would stop altogether. He said the goals of the new operation are to prevent Houthi rebels from “targeting civilians or changing realities on the ground”.
