Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemen despite calling off air campaign

Yemen's Houthi group gather in Faj Attan district, western of Sanaa to hold a protest urging an end to the Saudi Arabia-led offensive on April 22, 2015. [Photo/IC]

CAIRO/ADEN - Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed Yemen on Wednesday despite an announcement by Riyadh that it was ending its campaign of air strikes, while renewed fighting erupted on the ground between rebels and forces loyal to the exiled president.

The hostilities illustrated how difficult it will be to find a political solution to a war stirring animosities between rival Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Tuesday's announcement by Riyadh that it would end almost a month of air strikes against the Iranian-allied Houthis drew positive responses from both the White House and Tehran.

But hours later, air strikes and ground fighting resumed and the International Red Cross described the humanitarian situation as "catastrophic." The rebel Houthi movement said it wanted a return to United Nations peace talks, but only after a complete halt to air strikes.

Houthi fighters, meanwhile, captured an army base loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the city of Taiz. A Saudi air strike hit the headquarters shortly afterwards, residents said. Coalition planes later hit rebel positions in southern Yemen with 12 more air strikes, residents said.

Also in southern Yemen, pro-Hadi militiamen fought against the Houthis and their army allies loyal to powerful former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and residents in the port of Aden reported tank shelling and automatic gunfire.

Yemen's south has been a bulwark of resistance against the Houthi advance, and locals expressed dismay at the end to Saudi strikes, which had supported their forces.

"The decision was strange and totally unexpected. Our fighters had made gains but needed more Saudi air support; now we hear the Houthis and Saleh's people are advancing in many places," said Aden resident Saleh Salem Ba Aqeel.

In Washington, Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir made clear that the bombing campaign was not entirely over and warned of a fresh Houthi assault on Aden "from three sides." He told reporters the Saudis would continue to use force "to stop them from taking Yemen over by aggressive action."