Yemeni forces seize northern rebel town

The heads of delegations at the talks being held in Switzerland between the exiled Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels had renewed their commitment to a ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, it said.

“This means that there is not a ceasefire on the ground, but these victories [by pro-government fighters] will force the Houthis to accept a political solution as they have lost many areas in different provinces, while the loyalist forces are advancing towards Sanaa”, he said.

The government forces, backed by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, are fighting against the Houthi rebels, a northern group.

Security officials neutral in the conflict told the Associated Press news agency that fighters from both sides were refusing to respect the ceasefire. A day earlier government troops captured the border town of Haradh after crossing over from Saudi Arabia, where they have been trained and equipped, military sources said.

The coalition said yesterday that Saudi air defenses had intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, while another struck a desert area east of the Saudi city of Najran.

Troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and allied tribesmen seized Hazm after making significant gains in the neighbouring region of Marib, the sources said. On Thursday, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad, said the third day of peace talks had produced “a major step forward” on the humanitarian front – agreement on aid for the war-torn city of Taiz – that would pave the way to further agreements on aid and other issues in coming days.

About 1,000 soldiers are involved in the operation, the official said, adding that “intensive fighting took place in Harad”.

According to the United Nations, more than 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes and 21.2 million in Yemen are in need of humanitarian aid.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies began to launch deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

The military developments come amid faltering UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland.