Yemen's government proposal over Sanaa airport rejected by Houthis

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Tuesday fired a long-range ballistic missile toward the King Khaled International Airport north of the Saudi capital Riyadh.&nbsp;

The Houthi forces launched a Burkan H-2 ballistic missile in the capital&#39;s airport. It&#39;s the second ballistic missile attack claimed by Houthi rebels on the Saudi airport in less than three months.

The attack also comes just 10 days following the interception of a Houthi missile fired from Yemen by the Saudi military forces.&nbsp;

The Houthi missile had targeted the civilian areas of the southwestern Saudi province of Najran on January 20.&nbsp;

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/14-soldiers-killed-in-yemen-suicide-attack-army-official-31217">&nbsp;14 soldiers killed in Yemen suicide attack</a>

Continued missile attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen have forced Saudi Arabia to cut off air, sea and land links from its neighbour. The defence forces have also halted Yemen&#39;s financial aids and food and fuel imports as well.

On December 4, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in Sanaa after days of intense fighting between Houthi rebels and his loyalist forces. Before killing Saleh, Houthi rebels had reportedly blown up his residence.

Both Saleh forces and the Houthi rebels are battling to capture the capital city. The loyalists of Saleh last week had proposed for the talks with the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis to end the three-year conflict in Yemen.

The military conflict dates back to 2015, when the fight between the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels, backed by Saleh army units, broke out.&nbsp;

The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf Arab countries has interfered in the conflict since March 2015 upon Hadi&rsquo;s request, carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis.

The Houthi forces launched a Burkan H-2 ballistic missile in the Capital's airport. It's the second ballistic missile attack claimed by Houthi rebels on the Saudi airport in less than three months

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Tuesday fired a long-range ballistic missile toward the King Khaled International Airport north of the Saudi capital Riyadh. The Houthi forces launched a Burkan H-2 ballistic missile in the capital's airport. It's the second ballistic missile attack claimed by Houthi rebels on the Saudi airport in less than three months. The attack also comes just 10 days following the interception of a Houthi missile fired from Yemen by the Saudi military forces. The Houthi missile had targeted the civilian areas of the southwestern Saudi province of Najran on January 20. Also read: 14 soldiers killed in Yemen suicide attack Continued missile attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen have forced Saudi Arabia to cut off air, sea and land links from its neighbour. The defence forces have also halted Yemen's financial aids and food and fuel imports as well. On December 4, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in Sanaa after days of intense fighting between Houthi rebels and his loyalist forces. Before killing Saleh, Houthi rebels had reportedly blown up his residence. Both Saleh forces and the Houthi rebels are battling to capture the capital city. The loyalists of Saleh last week had proposed for the talks with the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis to end the three-year conflict in Yemen. The military conflict dates back to 2015, when the fight between the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels, backed by Saleh army units, broke out. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf Arab countries has interfered in the conflict since March 2015 upon Hadi’s request, carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis.

Houthis fire ballistic missile at Saudi airport

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday denied a report that Yemen&#39;s Houthi group had fired a missile towards a nuclear plant in the UAE, state news agency WAM reported on its Twitter account.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/yemens-houthi-group-says-fires-missile-toward-abu-dhabi-nuclear-reactor-25754" target="_blank">Have fired missile toward Abu Dhabi nuclear reactor: Yemen&#39;s Houthi rebels</a>

It quoted the UAE&#39;s emergency and crisis management department as saying the UAE possessed a missile defence system that could deal with any such threats and adding the al-Barakah nuclear plant was secure against all eventualities.

The UAE said it possessed a missile defence system that could deal with any such threats

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday denied a report that Yemen's Houthi group had fired a missile towards a nuclear plant in the UAE, state news agency WAM reported on its Twitter account. Have fired missile toward Abu Dhabi nuclear reactor: Yemen's Houthi rebels It quoted the UAE's emergency and crisis management department as saying the UAE possessed a missile defence system that could deal with any such threats and adding the al-Barakah nuclear plant was secure against all eventualities.

UAE denies Yemen's Houthis fired missile at Abu Dhabi nuclear reactor

Tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied in the centre of the capital yesterday to show support for the Houthi-led bloc as the head of the group&#39;s new governing council vowed to form a full government in the coming days. 
 
In apparent response to the Houthi show of force, ambassadors from the G18 group of nations that has backed UN peace talks to end Yemen&#39;s civil war issued a statement condemning &quot;unconstitutional and unilateral actions in Sanaa.&quot; 
 
&quot;The group of ambassadors repeats its concern that actions taken by elements of the General People&#39;s Congress and the Houthis as well as their supporters are making the search for a peaceful solution more difficult,&quot; the envoys added in a statement posted on the US embassy&#39;s Facebook page. 
 
As Houthi demonstrators packed Sanaa&#39;s Sabeen Square waving Yemeni flags and chanting slogans, chairman Saleh al-Samad outlined the council&#39;s plans for running the war-ravaged country following the breakdown of the peace talks earlier this month. 
 
&quot;Economic affairs will be the priority of our work in the coming period,&quot; he said. 
 
In another speech broadcast on Houthi-run television, Samad ordered the Houthi delegation at peace negotiations in Muscat not to speak with the UN envoy leading the talks, saying they should first return to Sanaa for consultations with the council. 
 
&quot;The hand of peace is still outstretched,&quot; he added. 
 
Saudi-led air strikes intensify 
 
Yesterday&#39;s declaration formalised a vow earlier this month by the Houthis and their allies in the General People&#39;s Congress, the party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, to establish a body to govern the capital and other parts of the country under their control. 
 
The demonstration - one of the biggest in Yemen since the civil war broke out last year - took place as the Saudi-led coalition backing exiled President Abd-Rabbou Mansour Hadi stepped up air strikes and fighting on the ground intensified. 
 
As the rally was underway, three air strikes targeted the presidential compound located 600 metres away from the square without causing casualties, residents told Reuters. 
 
Further north, rockets launched over the border from Yemen killed one person and injured five others in the southern Saudi city of Najran, Saudi state television reported. Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said the rockets had targeted a Saudi air force base. 
 
Fighting also escalated yesterday for control of Yemen&#39;s central bank, as President Hadi made plans to relocate the institution outside Houthi-held Sanaa and appoint a new board of directors, sources in his government told Reuters. 
 
The central bank&#39;s governor dismissed the reports of new board appointments as &quot;groundless&quot; in an emailed statement. A spokesman from Hadi&#39;s government could not immediately be reached for comment. 
 
The central bank has been considered the last bastion of the impoverished country&#39;s financial system, paying salaries to state employees on both sides of the front lines and guaranteeing food imports as Yemen approaches famine. 
 
(Reuters)

Three air strikes targeted the presidential compound 600 metres away from the demonstrators packed Sabeen square without causing casualties

Tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied in the centre of the capital yesterday to show support for the Houthi-led bloc as the head of the group's new governing council vowed to form a full government in the coming days. In apparent response to the Houthi show of force, ambassadors from the G18 group of nations that has backed UN peace talks to end Yemen's civil war issued a statement condemning "unconstitutional and unilateral actions in Sanaa." "The group of ambassadors repeats its concern that actions taken by elements of the General People's Congress and the Houthis as well as their supporters are making the search for a peaceful solution more difficult," the envoys added in a statement posted on the US embassy's Facebook page. As Houthi demonstrators packed Sanaa's Sabeen Square waving Yemeni flags and chanting slogans, chairman Saleh al-Samad outlined the council's plans for running the war-ravaged country following the breakdown of the peace talks earlier this month. "Economic affairs will be the priority of our work in the coming period," he said. In another speech broadcast on Houthi-run television, Samad ordered the Houthi delegation at peace negotiations in Muscat not to speak with the UN envoy leading the talks, saying they should first return to Sanaa for consultations with the council. "The hand of peace is still outstretched," he added. Saudi-led air strikes intensify Yesterday's declaration formalised a vow earlier this month by the Houthis and their allies in the General People's Congress, the party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, to establish a body to govern the capital and other parts of the country under their control. The demonstration - one of the biggest in Yemen since the civil war broke out last year - took place as the Saudi-led coalition backing exiled President Abd-Rabbou Mansour Hadi stepped up air strikes and fighting on the ground intensified. As the rally was underway, three air strikes targeted the presidential compound located 600 metres away from the square without causing casualties, residents told Reuters. Further north, rockets launched over the border from Yemen killed one person and injured five others in the southern Saudi city of Najran, Saudi state television reported. Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said the rockets had targeted a Saudi air force base. Fighting also escalated yesterday for control of Yemen's central bank, as President Hadi made plans to relocate the institution outside Houthi-held Sanaa and appoint a new board of directors, sources in his government told Reuters. The central bank's governor dismissed the reports of new board appointments as "groundless" in an emailed statement. A spokesman from Hadi's government could not immediately be reached for comment. The central bank has been considered the last bastion of the impoverished country's financial system, paying salaries to state employees on both sides of the front lines and guaranteeing food imports as Yemen approaches famine. (Reuters)

Thousands of Yemenis rally to support Houthi-led council

The cost from damage to infrastructure and economic losses in Yemen&#39;s civil war is more than $14 billion so far, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters that highlights the effort needed to rebuild the country, where more than half the population is suffering from malnutrition. 
 
&quot;The conflict has so far resulted in damage costs (still partial and incomplete) of almost $7 billion and economic losses (in nominal terms) of over $7.3 billion in relation to production and service delivery,&quot; said the May 6 joint report by the World Bank, United Nations, Islamic Development Bank and European Union. 
 
The internationally recognised Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi is battling the Iran-allied Houthis in a bitter civil conflict, and is also facing the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militant group. 
 
The 16-month civil war has killed more than 6,500 people, displaced more than 2.5 million and caused a humanitarian catastrophe in a country with a per capita gross domestic product the World Bank last estimated at only $1,097 in 2013. 
 
The Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment report is an internal working document that is not being publicly released. 
 
&quot;These preliminary findings are not only partial, but also evolving&quot; because the conflict is ongoing, the report said. The assessment, it said, was conducted between late 2015 and early this year. 
 
A survey by Yemen&#39;s education ministry cited by the report showed that of 1,671 schools in 20 governorates which suffered damage, 287 need major reconstruction, 544 were serving as shelters for internally displaced persons, and 33 were occupied by armed groups. Based on a sample of 143 schools, the estimated cost of the damage was $269 million. 
 
Citing the Ministry of Public Health and Population, the report said 900 of 3,652 facilities providing vaccination services were not operating in early 2016, leaving 2.6 million children under 15 at risk of contracting measles. 
 
HEALTH SYSTEM 
 
In Taiz, Yemen&#39;s third-largest city, the public health system has nearly collapsed, with half the public hospitals damaged or inaccessible. 
 
&quot;There has been a surge in civilian morbidity and mortality as an indirect consequence of the conflict,&quot; the report said. 
 
The report could assess residential damage only in the cities of Sanaa, Aden, Taiz and Zinjibar, and data collection was cut off in Oct. 2015 -- only about seven months into the conflict. That data alone found an estimated $3.6 billion in damage. 
 
The cost to reconstruct damaged energy facilities in the four cities was an estimated $139 million, most going to repairing damaged or destroyed power plants. 
 
A shaky cease-fire between the government and the Houthis, who practice a variant of Shi&#39;ite Islam, took effect in April and brought some respite from the war, which started when the rebels pushed the government into exile in March 2015. Peace talks broke down earlier this month, though, and Saudi-led air strikes on the Houthis who control the capital Sanaa have resumed. 
 
The report said that immediate attention must be focused on restoring import financing, particularly for food and fuel, which is caught in a conflict between the Saudi-backed government and the central bank in rebel-controlled Sanaa. 
 
The government asked international financial institutions to cut off the bank, alleging that it was misusing state funds. The bank, which provides foreign exchange for imports, has denied the allegations. 
 
&quot;As long as the conflict is ongoing, it&#39;s key to keep going the basic imports needed to avoid a humanitarian crisis. That is a very critical issue right now,&quot; the IMF&#39;s Yemen Mission Chief Albert Jaeger told Reuters. &quot;The best the international community and donors can do is to find a way to get the government and the central bank to cooperate to get at least the humanitarian side of things going.&quot; 
 
Air strikes by Saudi-led forces in Yemen that hit a school and a hospital are being investigated by a body set up by the coalition to look into civilian casualties, a spokesman said on Tuesday. 
 
Ten children were killed when their school in Saada province was bombed on Saturday, and 14 people were killed by a strike on a hospital in neighbouring Hajjah province on Monday. 
 
(Reuters)

The Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi is battling the Iran-allied Houthis and the al Qaeda

The cost from damage to infrastructure and economic losses in Yemen's civil war is more than $14 billion so far, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters that highlights the effort needed to rebuild the country, where more than half the population is suffering from malnutrition. "The conflict has so far resulted in damage costs (still partial and incomplete) of almost $7 billion and economic losses (in nominal terms) of over $7.3 billion in relation to production and service delivery," said the May 6 joint report by the World Bank, United Nations, Islamic Development Bank and European Union. The internationally recognised Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi is battling the Iran-allied Houthis in a bitter civil conflict, and is also facing the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militant group. The 16-month civil war has killed more than 6,500 people, displaced more than 2.5 million and caused a humanitarian catastrophe in a country with a per capita gross domestic product the World Bank last estimated at only $1,097 in 2013. The Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment report is an internal working document that is not being publicly released. "These preliminary findings are not only partial, but also evolving" because the conflict is ongoing, the report said. The assessment, it said, was conducted between late 2015 and early this year. A survey by Yemen's education ministry cited by the report showed that of 1,671 schools in 20 governorates which suffered damage, 287 need major reconstruction, 544 were serving as shelters for internally displaced persons, and 33 were occupied by armed groups. Based on a sample of 143 schools, the estimated cost of the damage was $269 million. Citing the Ministry of Public Health and Population, the report said 900 of 3,652 facilities providing vaccination services were not operating in early 2016, leaving 2.6 million children under 15 at risk of contracting measles. HEALTH SYSTEM In Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, the public health system has nearly collapsed, with half the public hospitals damaged or inaccessible. "There has been a surge in civilian morbidity and mortality as an indirect consequence of the conflict," the report said. The report could assess residential damage only in the cities of Sanaa, Aden, Taiz and Zinjibar, and data collection was cut off in Oct. 2015 -- only about seven months into the conflict. That data alone found an estimated $3.6 billion in damage. The cost to reconstruct damaged energy facilities in the four cities was an estimated $139 million, most going to repairing damaged or destroyed power plants. A shaky cease-fire between the government and the Houthis, who practice a variant of Shi'ite Islam, took effect in April and brought some respite from the war, which started when the rebels pushed the government into exile in March 2015. Peace talks broke down earlier this month, though, and Saudi-led air strikes on the Houthis who control the capital Sanaa have resumed. The report said that immediate attention must be focused on restoring import financing, particularly for food and fuel, which is caught in a conflict between the Saudi-backed government and the central bank in rebel-controlled Sanaa. The government asked international financial institutions to cut off the bank, alleging that it was misusing state funds. The bank, which provides foreign exchange for imports, has denied the allegations. "As long as the conflict is ongoing, it's key to keep going the basic imports needed to avoid a humanitarian crisis. That is a very critical issue right now," the IMF's Yemen Mission Chief Albert Jaeger told Reuters. "The best the international community and donors can do is to find a way to get the government and the central bank to cooperate to get at least the humanitarian side of things going." Air strikes by Saudi-led forces in Yemen that hit a school and a hospital are being investigated by a body set up by the coalition to look into civilian casualties, a spokesman said on Tuesday. Ten children were killed when their school in Saada province was bombed on Saturday, and 14 people were killed by a strike on a hospital in neighbouring Hajjah province on Monday. (Reuters)

Yemen civil war costs $14 billion in damage, economic costs, suggests report

A grenade exploded on Friday outside a mosque in Yemen&#39;s capital Sanaa, controlled by the Iran-allied Houthi group, residents said, as worshippers were leaving after midday prayers.&nbsp; 
 
There were no injuries or casualties, a witness said.&nbsp; 
 
No group claimed responsibility for the explosion under a parked car by the Bilal mosque in western Sanaa.&nbsp; 
 
Islamist militants have exploited Yemen&#39;s 16-month civil war between the Houthis and supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, to strike at both sides. 
 
The Houthis have controlled Sanaa since 2014 when they drove Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia. 
 
Yemen&#39;s government forces and allies from the United Arab Emirates control the southern port city of Aden and have pledged to win back control of the capital. 
 
Islamic State said it carried out an attack on a mosque in Sanaa last September that killed 10 worshippers. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Islamic State militants had carried out an attack on a mosque in Sanaa last September that killed 10 worshippers

A grenade exploded on Friday outside a mosque in Yemen's capital Sanaa, controlled by the Iran-allied Houthi group, residents said, as worshippers were leaving after midday prayers. There were no injuries or casualties, a witness said. No group claimed responsibility for the explosion under a parked car by the Bilal mosque in western Sanaa. Islamist militants have exploited Yemen's 16-month civil war between the Houthis and supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, to strike at both sides. The Houthis have controlled Sanaa since 2014 when they drove Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia. Yemen's government forces and allies from the United Arab Emirates control the southern port city of Aden and have pledged to win back control of the capital. Islamic State said it carried out an attack on a mosque in Sanaa last September that killed 10 worshippers. (Reuters)

Grenade explosion near mosque in Sanaa, Yemen

Saudi-led airstrikes killed at least seven people in Yemen on Sunday, residents said, as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Kuwait to try and galvanise peace talks on the conflict. 
 
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said five citizens were killed in two air strikes in Khawlan district, southeast of the capital Sanaa. 
 
Residents confirmed that five people died in the attack but did not say if they were civilians or armed members of the Houthis, a movement from the Zaydi branch of Shi&#39;ite Islam. 
 
Not targetting civillians: Saudi-led coalition&nbsp; 
Yemen is more than 15 months into a war involving a Saudi-led Arab coalition that intervened to prevent Iran-allied Houthis, who control the capital, from completing a takeover of the country and overthrowing the government. 
 
In southern Yemen, residents said two women died in an air strike on the home of a merchant in the Qubaita district, located between the Taiz and Lahej provinces. Another Yemeni died in Saada province by shelling from the Saudi side of the border, the Houthi-run al-Masirah television reported. 
 
There was no immediate comment from the coalition on the reports. The Saudi-led coalition says it does not target civilians in Yemen and has been observing a truce, acting only in response to Houthi violations. 
 
Ban urges delegations to avoid driving situation to a crisis&nbsp; 
Ban hopes to push the combatants to make concessions. In a speech to Yemeni negotiators from the Saudi-backed government on one side and the Houthis on the other, he said they must try to learn from the example of Colombian rebels and the government who signed a deal last week in Cuba after decades of war. 
 
&quot;The agreement last week demonstrated the perseverance of all those who work to end violent conflict not through the destruction of the adversary, but through the patient search for compromise,&quot; Ban said, according to a text received from the world body. 
 
&quot;I urge both delegations to avoid driving the situation to a crisis, and work responsibly and with flexibility for a comprehensive solution that would end the conflict,&quot; he added. 
 
The Yemen war has killed more than 6,400 people and caused a severe humanitarian crisis in a country that was already one of the poorest in the world. Yemen shares a long border with the world&#39;s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia. 
 
Officials say the talks have been going in circles: The Houthis demand an agreement on the fate of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the formation of a broad government that would include them before any withdrawal from cities they seized. 
 
The Yemeni government insists that any new government would only be formed after the Houthis hand over their weapons and turn into a political party. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The Yemen war has killed more than 6,400 people causing severe humanitarian crisis in a country that was already one of the poorest in world

Saudi-led airstrikes killed at least seven people in Yemen on Sunday, residents said, as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Kuwait to try and galvanise peace talks on the conflict. The Houthi-run Saba news agency said five citizens were killed in two air strikes in Khawlan district, southeast of the capital Sanaa. Residents confirmed that five people died in the attack but did not say if they were civilians or armed members of the Houthis, a movement from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam. Not targetting civillians: Saudi-led coalition Yemen is more than 15 months into a war involving a Saudi-led Arab coalition that intervened to prevent Iran-allied Houthis, who control the capital, from completing a takeover of the country and overthrowing the government. In southern Yemen, residents said two women died in an air strike on the home of a merchant in the Qubaita district, located between the Taiz and Lahej provinces. Another Yemeni died in Saada province by shelling from the Saudi side of the border, the Houthi-run al-Masirah television reported. There was no immediate comment from the coalition on the reports. The Saudi-led coalition says it does not target civilians in Yemen and has been observing a truce, acting only in response to Houthi violations. Ban urges delegations to avoid driving situation to a crisis Ban hopes to push the combatants to make concessions. In a speech to Yemeni negotiators from the Saudi-backed government on one side and the Houthis on the other, he said they must try to learn from the example of Colombian rebels and the government who signed a deal last week in Cuba after decades of war. "The agreement last week demonstrated the perseverance of all those who work to end violent conflict not through the destruction of the adversary, but through the patient search for compromise," Ban said, according to a text received from the world body. "I urge both delegations to avoid driving the situation to a crisis, and work responsibly and with flexibility for a comprehensive solution that would end the conflict," he added. The Yemen war has killed more than 6,400 people and caused a severe humanitarian crisis in a country that was already one of the poorest in the world. Yemen shares a long border with the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia. Officials say the talks have been going in circles: The Houthis demand an agreement on the fate of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the formation of a broad government that would include them before any withdrawal from cities they seized. The Yemeni government insists that any new government would only be formed after the Houthis hand over their weapons and turn into a political party. (Reuters)

Seven killed in Saudi-led strikes in Yemen, UN chief pushes combatants to make concessions

Residents of a village in central Yemen said Iran-allied Houthi fighters shot dead seven farmers on Thursday while searching for the leader of a pro-government militia. 
 
Peace talks in Kuwait between Yemen&#39;s government and the Houthis to end a civil war have dragged on for two months with few concrete results. A truce that began on April 10 has dampened fighting, but skirmishes continue almost daily. 
 
Residents of the village of Nadara in Ibb province said the Houthis could not find the militia commander but blew up his house and killed seven men working in the fields. 
 
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies intervened in Yemen&#39;s war in March 2015 on behalf of the internationally backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The conflict has killed at least 6,400 and caused a humanitarian crisis. 
 
The Houthis said the attack was a raid on a &quot;terrorist cell&quot; and that eight al-Qaeda fighters had been killed in the operation, according to the Houthi-run state news agency, Saba. 
 
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the war to seize a vast swath of the country, winning new recruits and enriching themselves from oil smuggling. 
 
There have been reports of al Qaeda militants joining pro-government and tribal fighters in battles against the Houthis in central Yemen. 
 
However, the Houthis also routinely characterise the militia forces opposed to them as al-Qaeda militants and accuse the Saudi-led coalition of abetting AQAP&#39;s expansion, something the alliance denies. 
 
The alliance members fear the Houthi movement is a proxy for their arch-rivals in Tehran, something the Houthis deny, and have launched thousands of air strikes in a bid to defeat them. 
 
United Nations Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Tuesday told the UN Security Council he would present a roadmap in the coming days to advance the.stalled process. 
 
(Reuters)

Houthis, however, said it was an attack on a 'terrorist cell' and eight al-Qaeda operatives were killed in the raid

Residents of a village in central Yemen said Iran-allied Houthi fighters shot dead seven farmers on Thursday while searching for the leader of a pro-government militia. Peace talks in Kuwait between Yemen's government and the Houthis to end a civil war have dragged on for two months with few concrete results. A truce that began on April 10 has dampened fighting, but skirmishes continue almost daily. Residents of the village of Nadara in Ibb province said the Houthis could not find the militia commander but blew up his house and killed seven men working in the fields. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies intervened in Yemen's war in March 2015 on behalf of the internationally backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The conflict has killed at least 6,400 and caused a humanitarian crisis. The Houthis said the attack was a raid on a "terrorist cell" and that eight al-Qaeda fighters had been killed in the operation, according to the Houthi-run state news agency, Saba. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the war to seize a vast swath of the country, winning new recruits and enriching themselves from oil smuggling. There have been reports of al Qaeda militants joining pro-government and tribal fighters in battles against the Houthis in central Yemen. However, the Houthis also routinely characterise the militia forces opposed to them as al-Qaeda militants and accuse the Saudi-led coalition of abetting AQAP's expansion, something the alliance denies. The alliance members fear the Houthi movement is a proxy for their arch-rivals in Tehran, something the Houthis deny, and have launched thousands of air strikes in a bid to defeat them. United Nations Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Tuesday told the UN Security Council he would present a roadmap in the coming days to advance the.stalled process. (Reuters)

Yemen's Houthis kill 7 farmers in search for pro-government fighter: Residents

houthis

Houthis, News on Houthis, stories on Houthis, articles on Houthis, Houthis stories at Wion, Houthis news, Houthis latest news