The Iran-allied Houthis, who are battling the internationally recognized government of Yemen's President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi, often fire mortars into southern Saudi regions and test Saudi defenses with guerrilla-style incursions.

The attack came hours before the Saudi-led coalition that is supporting Hadi in the war, announced a ceasefire in a bid to end a conflict that has displaced millions of people and caused a humanitarian disaster.

The 48-hour truce is due to start at noon (0900 GMT) on Saturday.

The Houthis were not immediately available to comment on the attack. A news agency controlled by the group said Saudi jets early on Saturday bombed an area of farmland in Yemen's southern Shabwa province.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies intervened in Yemen's war in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Several dozen Saudi soldiers have been killed in clashes along the long, rugged border with Yemen.</s>The page design helps me understand the news no yes

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Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.</s>CAIRO (AP) — The Saudi-led military coalition has declared a 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen, on the condition that Shiite rebels abide by it and allow humanitarian assistance into cities under their control.

The Saudi news agency SPA carried a statement from the coalition early Saturday. The truce will take into effect at 12 p.m. Yemeni time on Saturday, the statement said, and it could be renewed. The coalition warns the rebels, known as Houthis, against any sort of military movement.

The ceasefire comes as forces loyal to the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognized government have made advances in the key western city of Taiz, which has been besieged by the rebels for the past year.</s>The cessation of hostilities was due to start at noon (4 a.m. ET), it said.

The news agency said the ceasefire was "extendable" as long as Houthi militias and forces loyal to them abide by it.

The aim is to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to besieged areas, the news agency said, particularly Taiz City. But coalition forces will respond to any military movements from the opposing side, it said.

The truce is a response to efforts by the United Nations and the international community to bring peace to Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UN special envoy for Yemen, welcomed the development in a statement Saturday, saying it "is necessary to avoid further bloodshed and destruction and should allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance." He urged all parties in Yemen and the region, as well as the international community, to respect the ceasefire "and to ensure that it leads to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict." He said both sides in the conflict had committed to sending representatives to talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at supporting the "cessation of hostilities" under terms agreed to in April. Ceasefires have been declared before in Yemen, but each time conflict has resumed. About 10,000 Yemenis have died and millions are in need of aid in a 20-month conflict that has been dubbed the " forgotten war ," because it has occurred in the shadows of the Syrian conflict. US Secretary of State John Kerry met with a Houthi delegation in Muscat, Oman, in a push to make progress on resolving the conflict, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters earlier this week. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, indicated a willingness to abide by the terms of the cessation of hostilities established in April, she said, provided other parties also stick to it. "We understand the Saudi-led coalition has also expressed a willingness to return to the cessation. Additionally, the Houthis accepted the UN-drafted road map as a basis for negotiations to end the conflict to work for the establishment of a new national unity government," she said. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the truce was declared on the basis of Saudi King Salman receiving a message from Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. The war in Yemen began in early 2015 when Houthi rebels -- a minority Shia group from the north of the country -- drove out the US-backed government and took over the capital, Sanaa. The country has become a proxy battleground between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Millions at risk of starvation in Yemen Millions at risk of starvation in Yemen A Saudi-led coalition, made up of several Arab countries, began a military campaign in March 2015 aimed at restoring the Yemeni government and preventing the Houthis and forces loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. In August, peace talks failed, prompting an increase in airstrikes in the weeks that followed. Last month, the World Food Programme warned that millions were at risk of starvation in Yemen, saying "an entire generation could be crippled by hunger." UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien also gave a strongly worded statement to the UN Security Council in late October urging an immediate cessation of hostilities to save a generation of Yemenis from "humanitarian catastrophe."</s>CAIRO — The Saudi-led military coalition declared a 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen on Saturday, on the condition that Shiite rebels abide by it and allow humanitarian assistance into besieged cities, particularly the city of Taiz.

However, minutes after it went into effect, activists in Taiz said that rebel shelling continued in the city while a rebel-affiliated military spokesman said that there was no halt of fighting.

Col. Sharaf Loqman, a military spokesman, told The Associated Press that the fighting hasn't stopped at any of the front-lines. He said that the rebels support a full cessation of hostilities, but that the reality at the moment is, "all parties are engaged in fighting."

The Saudi news agency SPA carried a statement from the coalition that said the truce would take effect at 12 p.m. Yemeni time on Saturday and that it could be renewed. The coalition warned the rebels, known as Houthis, against any sort of military movement.

The ceasefire comes at a time that forces loyal to the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognized government have made advances in Taiz, which has been besieged by the rebels for the past year.

The coalition has demanded that the Houthis send their representatives to meet with a de-escalation committee based in a southern Saudi city, in order to make security and military arrangements to end rebel control over several cities in the north — including the capital, Sanaa.

While the coalition stressed that the ceasefire is aimed at paving the way for peace, it didn't elaborate on whether it's accepting the U.N.-brokered peace plan — which sidelines President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi and gives the rebels a share of power.

The truce also comes two days after an earlier plan for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire faltered. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who met with Houthi representatives in Oman this week, set Nov. 17 as the beginning of the ceasefire. The plan was immediately rejected by Hadi's government, which accused Kerry of striking a unilateral deal. The coalition made no comment on Kerry's announcement.

The conflict in Yemen has divided the country into rival regions with the northern — predominated by Shiites — under rebel control while the south — mostly Sunnis — is under the coalition's control.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 at the request of Hadi, who was forced to flee the country when the Houthis joined ranks with forces loyal to the ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and descended from their northern enclave — seizing the capital and pushing southward.

The coalition imposed a blockade on Yemen, and the airstrikes along with ground fighting have left over 4,000 civilians dead and tens of thousands wounded. The conflict has forced 3 million people to flee their homes and pushed the Arab world's poorest nation to the brink of famine.</s>The cessation of hostilities was due to start at 12 p.m. ( 4 a.m. ET ) it said.

The news agency said the ceasefire was "extendable" as long as Houthi militias and forces loyal to them abide by it.

The aim is to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to besieged areas, the news agency said, particularly Taz City. But coalition forces will respond to any military movements from the opposing side, it said.

The truce is a response to efforts by the United Nations and the international community to bring peace to Yemen, the SPA said.

Ceasefires have previously been declared in Yemen, but each time hostilities have resumed. Approximately 10,000 Yemenis have died and millions are in need of aid in a 20-month conflict that has been dubbed the " forgotten war ," because it has occurred in the shadows of the Syrian conflict. US State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters Tuesday that Secretary of State John Kerry had met earlier with members of the Houthi delegation in Muscat, Oman, in a push to make progress on resolving the conflict. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, had indicated a willingness to abide by the terms of a cessation of hostilities established in April, she said, provided other parties also stick to it. "We understand the Saudi-led coalition has also expressed a willingness to return to the cessation. Additionally, the Houthis accepted the UN-drafted roadmap as a basis for negotiations to end the conflict to work for the establishment of a new national unity government," she said. As of Tuesday, the Yemeni government had not agreed to the ceasefire, Trudeau indicated. But it now appears to be on board, with the Saudi Press Agency reporting that the truce was declared on the basis of Saudi Arabia's King Salman receiving a message from Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. The war in Yemen began in early 2015 when Houthi rebels -- a minority Shia group from the north of the country -- drove out the US-backed government and took over the capital, Sanaa. The country has become a proxy battleground between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Millions at risk of starvation in Yemen Millions at risk of starvation in Yemen A Saudi-led coalition, made up of several Arab countries, began a military campaign in March 2015 aimed at restoring the Yemeni government and preventing the Houthis and forces loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. In August, peace talks failed, prompting an increase in airstrikes in the weeks that followed. Last month, the World Food Programme warned that millions were at risk of starvation in Yemen, saying "an entire generation could be crippled by hunger." UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien also gave a strongly worded statement to the UN Security Council at the end of October in which he urged an immediate cessation of hostilities to save a generation of Yemenis from "humanitarian catastrophe" and conflict.</s>The Gulf Arab coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 2015 to restore to power President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was overthrown by the Houthis in 2014.

More than 10,000 people have been killed, according to U.N. estimates, in a war that has worsened disease and hunger.

The truce started at noon (0900 GMT), the Saudi Press Agency reported, and will be extended if the Iran-aligned Houthis show commitment to it and allow aid into areas under siege.

The Houthis said on Wednesday they were ready to stop fighting and join a national unity government.

"The Yemeni people exercise their right to self-defense and when Saudi Arabia stops fighting, the war will stop," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi politburo, told Reuters on Saturday when asked about the group's commitment to the truce.

But he said Saudi Arabia's decision to announce the ceasefire just a few hours before it began meant there was not enough time to arrange for aid convoys to be delivered.

Hadi's exiled government has requested humanitarian access for Taiz, a divided city largely encircled by the Houthis where thousands of civilians have been wounded in some of the heaviest fighting.

The ceasefire was agreed after diplomacy by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, but Hadi's camp said that although its Gulf allies had been consulted, his government had been sidelined.

Hours before the ceasefire began, a soldier in Saudi Arabia was killed by a missile fired by the Houthis, the interior ministry said, the type of cross-border attack that the Saudis insist must stop.

Any "military movements" by Houthi forces will be "addressed by the coalition", said the SPA statement, adding that controls the coalition imposes on Yemen's ports and airports to stop arms getting to the enemy will remain in place.

The near-blockade on air, sea and land access has caused food shortages in a country that imports over 90 percent of its staples, driving up prices and making it impossible for many Yemenis to feed themselves and their families.

No side has emerged as the dominant force in a war that has dragged into stalemate, displaced more than 3 million people and given room for a powerful branch of al Qaeda to expand its operations.

The frontline has changed little over recent months, with the Houthis and their allies holding most of Yemen's northern half, including the capital Sanaa, while forces loyal to Hadi share control of the rest of the country with local tribes.

Hadi's government says the Houthis illegally seized power in a coup backed by Iran, and demands that they quit the cities they seized and hand over heavy weapons before any political settlement starts.

The Houthis say they took power to end corruption and to get rid of Islamist militants they say expanded their influence during Hadi's presidency.</s>By AFP - Nov 19,2016 - Last updated at Nov 19,2016

A woman uses a wheelbarrow to carry a jerrycan filled with potable water from a charity tap during the first day of a 48-hour ceasefire in Sanaa, Yemen, on Saturday (Reuters photo)

SANAA — Yemen rebels and loyalist forces battled Saturday around third city Taez even as a 48-hour ceasefire announced by a Saudi-led coalition fighting the insurgents began following US pressure.

A few hours after the ceasefire took effect at midday (0900 GMT), fighting still raged around the flashpoint southwestern city, where violence has killed dozens this week, despite clashes subsiding on several fronts.

Clashes were heaviest in the town of Salo, southeast of Taez, military sources said, reporting casualties on both sides.

Inside Taez itself, rebel rocket fire into a residential district killed one civilian and wounded two, the sources added.

Intermittent fighting was also reported in Nahm near the capital Sanaa, in Shabwa in the south and Sarwah to the east.

The ceasefire comes after a push by US Secretary of State John Kerry who last week met rebel representatives in Oman and also urged the government to come on board.

At first the government, which has deep reservations about a UN peace blueprint it believes undermines its authority, rejected the peace bid before later agreeing to observe it.

Yemen’s government has come under huge pressure to back down in the face of an international outcry over the mounting civilian death toll from 20 months of conflict.

“There are international pressures to observe a ceasefire and to resume [peace] negotiations,” a source close to the presidency told AFP, requesting anonymity.

The 48-hour truce could be extended if the rebels hold fire and allow aid into besieged loyalist enclaves, said a coalition statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Yemen and nearly 37,000 wounded since the coalition intervention began in March last year, the United Nations said.

“We really hope that the war will end. All Yemenis are very tired of the conflict,” said Khaled Al Waysi, a resident of Sanaa.

Another resident, Sadeq Juhaifi, said: “We want one of the parties to be courageous enough to announce longterm peace, not just a two or one-day ceasefire.”

AFP received a copy of an official document issued by the defence ministry ordering all pro-government forces to abide by the ceasefire, report violations, and reserve the right to respond to any rebel breaches.

A spokesman for forces allied to the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman, confirmed that they would also abide by the ceasefire.

“Based on the agreement reached in Muscat, we affirm our commitment to the ceasefire if the other party respects it,” Luqman said of the accord signed Monday with Kerry.

Six previous attempts to clinch a ceasefire have foundered, the latest in October.

All those truces were “useless”, said Sanaa resident Abdullah Hasan.

“We need a real truce, not one which is just for media consumption,” added the 29-year-old.

UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged all parties “to encourage full respect for the cessation of hostilities and to ensure that it leads to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict”.

Exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has rejected a UN proposal to step down while his government forms a unity administration with the rebels.

In an apparent bid to prove his legitimacy, the coalition underlined that the ceasefire came at Hadi’s request.

The president asked Saudi King Salman for the pause “in response to UN and international efforts to bring peace to Yemen” and allow aid deliveries, its statement said.

Millions of civilians, many of whom have fled their homes, desperately need humanitarian aid.

The coalition has enforced an air and sea blockade on rebel-held areas throughout its intervention. That will remain in place for the duration of the ceasefire, it said.

Despite the support of coalition firepower, the rebels still control Sanaa and most of the northern and central highlands.

Some towns held by loyalist garrisons are under rebel siege, including Taez.

The coalition insisted that aid must be allowed into those areas for the ceasefire to be extended.

It also demanded that the rebels send representatives to a monitoring committee provided for under a previous, abortive ceasefire.

That committee is to meet just across the border in Saudi Arabia.

During Monday’s meeting with Kerry, the rebels and their allies agreed to attend.

UN experts will work alongside the representatives of the two sides, the envoy said.</s>The coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 2015 to restore to power the internationally backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, overthrown by the Houthis in late 2014.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people, according to U.N. estimates, and has worsened disease and hunger.

Saturday's truce, the third announced this year, could be extended if the Iran-aligned Houthi movement shows commitment to it and if the group allows humanitarian aid into areas under siege, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Houthi officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

"The truce will be renewed if the other party adheres to it, activates the DCC (De-escalation and Coordination Committee) for Dhahran al-Janoub and lifts the siege of Taiz," SPA said, citing a letter sent from Yemen's president Hadi to Saudi King Salman.

The DCC is a United Nations-backed military commission responsible for overseeing ceasefires in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition announces a 48 hour ceasefire in Yemen from noon.