Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition left at least three civilians wounded in Yemen&#39;s rebel-held capital Sanaa late Friday, witnesses said.&nbsp;

The strikes hit a residential area near the ministry of defence building, which had been targeted just before.

&quot;I was sitting at home and heard the first strike hit the ministry of defence. Everyone was afraid. Minutes later, another strike hit my neighbour&#39;s house,&quot; resident Mohammed Aatif said.

&quot;My entire house shook,&quot; said Aatif, who fled with his family from the neighbourhood.&nbsp;

He said the strike destroyed his neighbour&#39;s house, leaving an enormous crater, and damaged others.&nbsp;

Witnesses said the number of casualties may rise as wounded are pulled from the rubble.

The coalition has targeted the nearby defence ministry in the past, leaving it heavily damaged, but the fresh strikes come amid a ratcheting up of tensions between Saudi Arabia and its rival Iran, which backs the Huthi rebels.

Saudi Arabia and its allies shut down Yemen&#39;s borders earlier this week after intercepting a ballistic missile fired by the Huthis near Riyadh airport on Saturday.

The rebels have threatened additional attacks on Saudi Arabia and its coalition partner the United Arab Emirates in response to the blockade.

The United Nations said on Friday that the coalition is still blocking desperately needed UN aid deliveries to Yemen despite the re-opening of the Yemeni port of Aden and also a land border crossing.&nbsp;

This week, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council that, unless the blockade was lifted, Yemen would face &quot;the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, with millions of victims&quot;.

The world body has listed Yemen as the world&#39;s number one humanitarian crisis, with 17 million people in need of food, seven million of whom are at risk of famine.&nbsp;

More than 2,000 Yemenis have died in a cholera outbreak now affecting nearly one million people.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in neighbouring Yemen in March 2015 with the stated aim of rolling back Huthi rebel gains and restoring the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

The Huthis continue to control the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen&#39;s north.&nbsp;

The conflict has left more than 8,650 people dead, including many civilians.

The strikes hit a residential area near the ministry of defence building

Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition left at least three civilians wounded in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa late Friday, witnesses said. The strikes hit a residential area near the ministry of defence building, which had been targeted just before. "I was sitting at home and heard the first strike hit the ministry of defence. Everyone was afraid. Minutes later, another strike hit my neighbour's house," resident Mohammed Aatif said. "My entire house shook," said Aatif, who fled with his family from the neighbourhood. He said the strike destroyed his neighbour's house, leaving an enormous crater, and damaged others. Witnesses said the number of casualties may rise as wounded are pulled from the rubble. The coalition has targeted the nearby defence ministry in the past, leaving it heavily damaged, but the fresh strikes come amid a ratcheting up of tensions between Saudi Arabia and its rival Iran, which backs the Huthi rebels. Saudi Arabia and its allies shut down Yemen's borders earlier this week after intercepting a ballistic missile fired by the Huthis near Riyadh airport on Saturday. The rebels have threatened additional attacks on Saudi Arabia and its coalition partner the United Arab Emirates in response to the blockade. The United Nations said on Friday that the coalition is still blocking desperately needed UN aid deliveries to Yemen despite the re-opening of the Yemeni port of Aden and also a land border crossing. This week, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council that, unless the blockade was lifted, Yemen would face "the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, with millions of victims". The world body has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with 17 million people in need of food, seven million of whom are at risk of famine. More than 2,000 Yemenis have died in a cholera outbreak now affecting nearly one million people. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in neighbouring Yemen in March 2015 with the stated aim of rolling back Huthi rebel gains and restoring the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to power. The Huthis continue to control the capital Sanaa and much of Yemen's north. The conflict has left more than 8,650 people dead, including many civilians.

Saudi-led strikes on Yemen capital, three civilians wounded

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of Yemen&#39;s government has killed a senior military officer of Yemen&#39;s Houthi movement on the border with Saudi Arabia, &nbsp;a source in the Saudi-led coalition was quoted as saying in the media reports on Saturday. &nbsp; 
 
Head of Houthi special forces, Major-General Hassan Almalsi, was killed on Thursday while attempting to infiltrate a squad of Houthi fighters into the kingdom&#39;s southern province of Najran, the source said, according to a Reuters report.&nbsp; 
 
It&#39;s pertinent to mention that the coalition has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015 to restore internationally-backed government to power, international news agency AFP reports. The air strikes being carried out by the coalition aim to gain ground support for forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who fled to Riyadh last year.&nbsp; 
 
While Riyadh views Iran as a threat to Middle East&#39;s stability and blames it for supporting &quot;Shi&#39;ite militias that have inflamed sectarian violence&quot;, according to Reuters, Tehran views the Houthis as the legitimate authority in Yemen.&nbsp; 
 
Allied with soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis seized Yemen`s capital Sanaa in late 2014 before moving into other parts of the country.&nbsp; 
 
Iran, however, denies accusations that it supplies the rebel group, who say they are fighting against the corrupt government, with arms.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, Riyadh has been facing mounting pressure from the&nbsp;international community over casualties in the Yemen conflict.&nbsp; 
 
Last month, Houthi movement and allied Yemeni forces resumed shelling into neighbouring Saudi Arabi after UN-sponsored talks to end the fighting that has killed more than 10,000 people collapsed in failure &nbsp;according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)&nbsp;

Head of Houthi rebel 'special forces', Hassan Almalsi, was killed 'during an infiltration attempt along with his squad at Najran'

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of Yemen's government has killed a senior military officer of Yemen's Houthi movement on the border with Saudi Arabia, a source in the Saudi-led coalition was quoted as saying in the media reports on Saturday. Head of Houthi special forces, Major-General Hassan Almalsi, was killed on Thursday while attempting to infiltrate a squad of Houthi fighters into the kingdom's southern province of Najran, the source said, according to a Reuters report. It's pertinent to mention that the coalition has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015 to restore internationally-backed government to power, international news agency AFP reports. The air strikes being carried out by the coalition aim to gain ground support for forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who fled to Riyadh last year. While Riyadh views Iran as a threat to Middle East's stability and blames it for supporting "Shi'ite militias that have inflamed sectarian violence", according to Reuters, Tehran views the Houthis as the legitimate authority in Yemen. Allied with soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis seized Yemen`s capital Sanaa in late 2014 before moving into other parts of the country. Iran, however, denies accusations that it supplies the rebel group, who say they are fighting against the corrupt government, with arms. Meanwhile, Riyadh has been facing mounting pressure from the international community over casualties in the Yemen conflict. Last month, Houthi movement and allied Yemeni forces resumed shelling into neighbouring Saudi Arabi after UN-sponsored talks to end the fighting that has killed more than 10,000 people collapsed in failure according to Reuters. (WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)

Saudi-led coalition strike kills senior Houthi rebel leader in Yemen, say sources

Iran-backed rebels convened Yemen&#39;s parliament today in defiance of the internationally recognised government, prompting condemnation from President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. 
 
The session in rebel-held Sanaa was the first time parliament has convened in almost two years and comes after the Huthis rejected a UN peace plan and appointed a council to run the country. 
 
Parliamentary sources said that 91 lawmakers in the 301-member national assembly attended the session. All voted in favour of the council which was created last week. 
 
The Huthi rebels overran Sanaa in September 2014 and then fought their way into other parts of Yemen, forcing Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia. 
 
A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Huthis and their allies - supporters of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh - since March last year to shore up the Hadi government. 
 
After Sanaa&#39;s capture, many parliamentarians also sought refuge in other towns or overseas. 
 
Political and security sources in Sanaa told AFP that some lawmakers were forced to attend today&#39;s session after rebel threats, but without elaborating. 
 
Parliament chief Yehya al-Raie, a leading figure in Saleh&#39;s General People&#39;s Congress party, urged all MPs &quot;outside the country to review their positions&quot; and invited them to retake their seats. 
 
Hadi labels session &#39;a violation of constitution&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Hadi denounced the session as a &quot;violation&quot; of the constitution and a &quot;crime punishable by law&quot;, in remarks carried by the official sabanew.net website. 
 
&quot;Whatever takes place at this meeting has no legal effects and cannot be implemented,&quot; he said. 
 
According to the constitution, more than 150 lawmakers must be present for a vote to be held. 
 
Armed rebels were inside parliament for today&#39;s session, which was held as coalition warplanes pounded military targets around Sanaa, parliamentary sources said. 
 
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has described the rebel governing council as a violation of commitments to the peace process. 
 
Last week, he suspended UN-brokered talks between rebels and the government. 
 
The UN says that more than 6,400 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Yemen since the coalition air campaign began in March last year. 
 
Arab coalition air strikes have hit rebel positions across northern Yemen as well in as the southwestern province of Taez as ground fighting raged on. 
 
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement yesterday he was &quot;deeply alarmed by the intensification of violence across the country&quot;. 
 
&quot;The people of Yemen continue to bear the brunt of the suffering as a result of the inability of the parties to find a political solution&quot; to the conflict, he said. 
 
&quot;The return to full-scale hostilities only drives humanitarian needs further,&quot; he said. 
 
The fighting in Yemen has driven 2.8 million people from their homes and left more than 80 per cent of the population needing humanitarian aid, the UN says. 
 
(Agencies)

The session in rebel-held Sanaa was the first time parliament has convened in almost two years. It was attended by 91 lawmakers

Iran-backed rebels convened Yemen's parliament today in defiance of the internationally recognised government, prompting condemnation from President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The session in rebel-held Sanaa was the first time parliament has convened in almost two years and comes after the Huthis rejected a UN peace plan and appointed a council to run the country. Parliamentary sources said that 91 lawmakers in the 301-member national assembly attended the session. All voted in favour of the council which was created last week. The Huthi rebels overran Sanaa in September 2014 and then fought their way into other parts of Yemen, forcing Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Huthis and their allies - supporters of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh - since March last year to shore up the Hadi government. After Sanaa's capture, many parliamentarians also sought refuge in other towns or overseas. Political and security sources in Sanaa told AFP that some lawmakers were forced to attend today's session after rebel threats, but without elaborating. Parliament chief Yehya al-Raie, a leading figure in Saleh's General People's Congress party, urged all MPs "outside the country to review their positions" and invited them to retake their seats. Hadi labels session 'a violation of constitution' Hadi denounced the session as a "violation" of the constitution and a "crime punishable by law", in remarks carried by the official sabanew.net website. "Whatever takes place at this meeting has no legal effects and cannot be implemented," he said. According to the constitution, more than 150 lawmakers must be present for a vote to be held. Armed rebels were inside parliament for today's session, which was held as coalition warplanes pounded military targets around Sanaa, parliamentary sources said. UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has described the rebel governing council as a violation of commitments to the peace process. Last week, he suspended UN-brokered talks between rebels and the government. The UN says that more than 6,400 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Yemen since the coalition air campaign began in March last year. Arab coalition air strikes have hit rebel positions across northern Yemen as well in as the southwestern province of Taez as ground fighting raged on. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement yesterday he was "deeply alarmed by the intensification of violence across the country". "The people of Yemen continue to bear the brunt of the suffering as a result of the inability of the parties to find a political solution" to the conflict, he said. "The return to full-scale hostilities only drives humanitarian needs further," he said. The fighting in Yemen has driven 2.8 million people from their homes and left more than 80 per cent of the population needing humanitarian aid, the UN says. (Agencies)

Yemen rebels convene parliament to defy Saudi-backed exiled government, Hadi denounces session