Aden- Coup militias continued staging loud violations for the second day of a recently announced ceasefire. Missile fires along with other transgressions have been reported, said Arab Coalition Spokesman Gen. Ahmad Asiri.
Countless violations were encountered in the last 48 hours of ceasefire, all of which were staged by coup militia chiefly composed of Iran-aligned Houthis and former Ali Abdullah Saleh loyalists.
Gen. Asiri added that the Saudi-led Arab Coalition has been documenting and conveying the current standing in Yemen to international parties, saying that forces under his command are responding to fire sources in an aim to protect civilian life. The truce most likely will not be extended, should the current violations persist, said Gen. Asiri.
Gen. Asiri said the Saudi-led coalition would abide by the two-day ceasefire, nonetheless, will not allow for civilian life to be targeted openly.
Gen. Asiri told Doha-based Al-Jazeera channel that at least 180 breaches of the truce, most of which took place in Taiz, had been registered since the cease-fire came into force at noon (0900 GMT).
The 48-hour cease-fire, which began on Saturday, came upon President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi’s request.
Similarly, the state-run Saba news agency said on Saturday that President Hadi rang army commanders in the city of Taiz and asked them to be on a “high alert” and respond to possible coup breaches.
He said there would be aerial surveillance around the clock to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.
If there is a complete halt to coup-staged violations, there will be an extension. If they do not stop, this would be a direct violation of the cease-fire conditions, said Gen. Asiri.
The coalition’s air forces had intercepted three ballistic missiles on Saturday– added to previously thwarted missile attacks, there are a total of five ballistic missiles launched since the truce underwent implementation.
The missiles were launched by Houthis militants against Marib and were destroyed within the province’s airspace.
The media center of the Yemeni National Army has reported hundreds of violations of the truce by the Houthis.
Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when Houthi rebels overran the capital Sana’a and other parts of the country.