Saudis Step up Attacks, Violate Hodeidah Truce 223 Times: Yemen army

Yemen’s army, which alongside the Houthi movement has been defending the country, says Saudi Arabia has increased its attacks in breach of a UN-brokered truce in the port city of Hodeidah.

Army spokesman Brigadier Yahya Sariyah told al-Masirah TV that the Saudis have violated the Hodeidah ceasefire 223 times since December 17, when the truce took effect.

The ceasefire violations included 51 missile attacks, 155 cases of artillery fire and shelling as well as infiltration attempts, he added.

Saudi warplanes, Sariyah said, continue to fly intensely over Hodeidah. Over the past 48 hours, they have conducted 42 air raids on the provinces of Saada, al-Jawf and Ma’rib.

Yemeni fighters, meanwhile, have clashed with Saudi mercenaries, killing and injuring dozens of them.

UN monitors arrived in Yemen on Saturday to oversee the fragile truce.