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Houthi ballistic missile strikes Yemen’s Marib hours before ceasefire

April 9, 2020 at 12:39 pm

Saudi state TV said that a ballistic missile was launched at the Yemeni city of Marib hours before a ceasefire was announced by the Saudi-led coalition, “despite the announcement of the ceasefire, the Houthi militia is targeting the government compound in Marib,” the report said.

The Houthi-aligned Al-Masirah reported that the ceasefire was breached shortly after, with coalition airstrikes carried out over several regions including Saadah, Amran and Al-Baydah.

The Yemeni army, which is also linked to the Houthis, has yet to confirm the reports but did claim yesterday a missile was fired on a coalition-base in Abyan province.

READ: Yemen seals border with Saudi Arabia over virus fears

The Saudis announced yesterday evening a nationwide ceasefire for two weeks starting today as part of the UN-backed initiative to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in Yemen, which was already designated as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis before the pandemic.

However, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a senior member of the Political Bureau of the Houthi movement, told Al-Mayadeen TV that the coalition’s ceasefire was just another ploy. “Saudis have repeatedly declared a ceasefire in Yemen but have violated it every time,” he said.

Al-Bukhaiti claimed Riyadh is using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity for a ceasefire and a face-saving exit from the five-year Yemen war. He also explained that with the continued siege of Yemen the war will not end. “If any ceasefire does not include the removal of the siege on Yemen, that would be the continuation of the Saudi war.”

READ: Yemen: Army launches massive attack on Houthi sites, Socotra governor survives assassination attempt