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Saudi-led coalition strike Yemen rebels after UN truce begins

Though the raids stopped around 30 minutes before the truce came into effect, clashes have continued in the central city of Taez between rebels and fighters loyal to Hadi, witnesses said.

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Violence also raged overnight in Taez, with witnesses saying the Huthis had also bombed several districts.

Airstrikes and ground battles were reported in Yemen on Saturday within hours of a ceasefire coming into effect.

Likewise, Mr. Ban has also received assurances through his Special Envoy on Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, from the Houthis, the General People’s Congress and other parties that the pause will be “fully respected and that there will be no violations from any combatants under their control”.

However, in a televised speech Tuesday, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi Ansarullah group, doubted that the cease-fire would hold.

Yemeni chirldren look at a wedding hall which was reportedly hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike …

“We had a bad experience during the last one, and its success is connected to the commitment of the Saudi forces to stop attacks completely and end the siege” imposed on air and sea ports, he said.

Aid agencies say a blockade on Yemen has worsened the humanitarian crisis after months of conflict.

The Houthis, who took over the capital Sanaa last September, deny Saudi accusations that they are an Iranian proxy and describe their armed advance throughout Yemen as a revolution against a corrupt government backed by the West.

World Food Programme spokeswoman Abeer Etefa said on Friday that the truce was “our final hope” to reach the needy.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had referred to as upon all sides to observe the truce from midnight on Friday.

The United Nations declared its highest-level humanitarian emergency in Yemen on July 1.

The humanitarian truce was meant to help Yemen’s beleaguered civilians – 80 per cent of whom are now in need of aid or protection.

Smoke billows following airstrikes by Saudi Arabia on July 7, 2015 in the capital Sana’a.

Over 3,000 people, including 1,500 civilians, have been killed over the past three months in Yemen, according to the UN.

UNICEF said it was stepping up nutrition screening, vaccinations and other life-saving interventions for millions of children, with teams having to “brave extremely hazardous conditions”.

This is the second ceasefire since the coalition launched its March air campaign against the northern rebels and their allies, troops loyal to ex- president Saleh.

The cessation will allow for badly needed relief aid and medical supplies to reach the farthest regions of Yemen.

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Meanwhile, 10 suspected Al-Qaeda members were killed in missile strikes by American drones in Mukalla in southeastern Yemen, a local official said.

A man and a boy walk at a site hit by a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's capital Sanaa on July 3. More than a million civilians have been displaced in recent fighting