Houthis have violated Yemen truce: Saudi-led coalition

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Houthi fighters have broken a day-old truce in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition that had been bombing the rebels said on Thursday, vowing to stick to the pause.

"The Houthi militias have violated the truce," the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The statement alleged 12 contraventions of the ceasefire, which began at 2000 GMT on Tuesday, along the Saudi-Yemen border and in Yemen itself.

But it said the coalition "confirms its full commitment to the humanitarian truce and restraint".

The Houthi rebels and their allies had indicated they would abide by the ceasefire, which was proposed by Saudi Arabia and backed by the US in order to allow aid into the war-stricken country where the UN's food agency on Wednesday described the situation as "catastrophic".

The coalition statement described five alleged truce violations inside Yemen.

These included artillery, rocket and tank fire towards the southern town of Daleh where "clashes are continuing until now".

In Luder, another southern town, there was heavy weapons fire "and occupation", it said.

There were troop and equipment movements as well as artillery and rocket fire in the southern province of Aden, the coalition added.

It alleged the "killing of a large number of children and women" in Taez province, and Houthi movement in Shabwa province.

The Saudi-led coalition on 26 March began bombing the Shiite militia that had taken over large parts of Yemen.

Riyadh feared the fighters would occupy the entire country and move it into the orbit of its Shiite regional rival Iran.