Saudi FM Accuses Houthis of Breaching Yemen Ceasefire

Washington, 20 Muharram 1438/21 October 2016 (MINA) – Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Yemen’s Houthi opposition of stepping up their attacks on Thursday and of putting in danger a day-old UN-brokered ceasefire.

Jubeir told reporters in Washington that Saudi Arabia reserves the right to defend itself from further Houthi attacks, but stopped short of declaring the truce a failure. The New Arab was quoted by MINA.

“As of this morning Washington time there had been more than 150 violations by the Houthi-Saleh side,” Jubeir said, referring to the rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A UN-brokered 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen came into effect on Wednesday night, after a day of heavy fighting and air raids, raising hopes of a more permanent truce.

Sitting with US Secretary of State John Kerry after talks at the State Department, Jubeir called the alleged Houthi attacks an “escalation in the violence, rather than a reduction.”

And he accused the Houthis of launching a missile across the border into Saudi territory and killing a man and his daughter.

Meanwhile, Kerry condemned the cross-border attack, but was keen to insist that his guest confirm that the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen still intends to respect the ceasefire. (T/P001/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)