Soon after a five-day humanitarian ceasefire came into effect, rockets were fired from Yemen’s rebel-held north yesterday, hitting the border areas of Jazan and Najran inside the Saudi kingdom. A Saudi Defence Ministry official said, there were no casualties and Saudi forces had practised self-restraint as part of their commitment to the truce.
The alleged attack came despite a promise by the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies to abide by the ceasefire. Riyadh has warned it will punish any attempt to exploit the truce.
According to the United Nations, the humanitarian ceasefire stands for ceasefires agreed to by the protagonists in an armed conflict to allow the provision of health and humanitarian assistance, such as immunization campaigns and food supplies.
As the ceasefire started in Yemen, aid agencies have started delivering help to desperate civilians. UN’s food agency has described the situation in Yemen as catastrophic.
The ceasefire comes after nearly seven weeks of Saudi-led air strikes against Iran-backed rebels.
The humanitarian pause, which began on Tuesday, is the first break in the air war, in support of exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi since its launch on 26th of March.
A US State Department spokesman said that while the truce was broadly holding, it had received some reports of clashes after the ceasefire began.
