TAIZ, Yemen — Yemen's Southern Popular Resistance took control of the main street in the city of Taiz as clashes with Houthi militiamen continued, a day after the Iran-backed militia breached a UN-brokered humanitarian ceasefire, Al Arabiya News Channel reported. Several people were killed in Taiz as Houthi militia shelled civilian areas. The spokesman for the Yemeni Military Council said the army, backed by members of the Southern Popular Resistance, took control of the Siteen Street in Taiz, prompting the Houthis to intensify shelling in areas held by the resistance. In Aden, one of the country's most deprived and war-torn areas, witnesses said Houthi forces fired mortars and Katyusha rockets toward resistance fighters based in northern areas and around the city's international airport. The legitimate government of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi wants the Houthis to release prisoners and give up land they have seized. That coalition said on Saturday that the Yemeni government had not asked it to pause, according to a news flash on Arabiya TV. The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said the coalition is not bound by a new truce deal. Brig. Gen Ahmed Asiri's comments, posted Saturday on the website of Al-Riyadh Arabic daily, said the coalition is not interested in a unilateral truce, calling it “counterproductive.” He added that the coalition is not bound to it because of a lack of commitment by the Houthis. He called for UN observers on the ground to monitor for violations. — Agencies
