(MENAFN- Arab Times) Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition kept up their airstrikes in Yemen on Tuesday, targeting the positions of Shiite rebels and their allies just hours ahead of the scheduled start of a five-day humanitarian ceasefire. The strikes stopped shortly before the new United Nations envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, flew into the capital, Sanaa, on his first official visit to the country. He told reporters he planned to meet with various parties, including the rebels known as Houthis, and ensure that the ceasefire holds. "We will discuss the humanitarian truce and the Yemeni parties' return to the negotiating table," he said. Security officials said airstrikes overnight, at dawn and during the morning hours targeted weapons depots and other military facilities north and south of Sanaa, a sprawling city of some 4 million people.
The military air base that is part of the capital's international airport also was targeted. Ten strikes hit Sanaa from dawn until about noon Tuesday, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.
Fierce fighting also raged Tuesday in Taiz between the rebels and forces loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, officials said. The rebels and their allies also shelled residential areas in the strategic city southwest of Sanaa, with one shell hitting a bus, killing nine people and wounding 40, officials said. An airstrike targeted the city's al-Qahira castle, from which the shelling came, they said. The ceasefire, scheduled to begin at 11 pm (2000 GMT, 4 pm EDT), is meant to help ease the suffering of civilians in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country. The conflict has killed over 1,400 people - many of them civilians - since March 19, according to the UN The country of some 25 million people has endured shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity as a result of a Saudiled naval, air and land blockade. Anticipating the truce, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it plans to airlift 300 metric tons (330 tons) of sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen sets and plastic sheeting from stockpiles in Dubai.
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