Houthis launch 2 ballistic missiles in Yemen: coalition

ADEN, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition announced Tuesday that Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched two ballistic missiles from the capital Sana'a which fell short and landed in the cities of Amran and Sadah.

The attacks were continued violations of a ceasefire and de-escalation that was initiated by the coalition, the Saudi Press Agency quoted coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki as saying.

Maliki said the Houthis have violated the truce over 2,400 times using light and heavy weapons as well as ballistic missiles.

On April 8, coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia declared a two-week ceasefire in Yemen amid the novel coronavirus outbreak and on April 24 announced a one-month extension.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Houthi officials discussed the ongoing crisis in the country with the Yemeni ambassadors of the permanent member states of the UN Security Council via video conference, according to the official Saba news agency.

Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in March 2015 after Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital Sana’a and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee the country.

Five years of conflict have has left thousands of civilians dead and nearly 3.7 million internally displaced, according to the UN.

The impact on the country’s infrastructure has been devastating, with major overland routes and airports severely damaged.