Saudi Arabia Resumes Airstrikes In Yemen Hours After Coalition Announced End To Air Campaign: Reports

Update as of 6:54 a.m. EST: Houthi rebels have freed Yemen’s defense minister General Mahmoud al-Subaihi in Sanaa on Wednesday, nearly a month after he was captured, Reuters reported, citing rebel and tribal sources.

Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council had demanded Subaihi’s release in a resolution, imposing an arms embargo on the Shiite rebels pending his release.

Original story:

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition has conducted fresh airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen on Wednesday, hours after Riyadh announced an end to its military air campaign in the beleaguered Arab country, Al Jazeera reported. Saudi Arabia resumed the airstrikes because the Houthis “broke a promise” in Taiz, BBC reported, citing Saudi diplomatic sources.

On Wednesday, an airstrike targeted tanks used by the Houthi rebels and their allies in the port city of Aden, Al Jazeera reported, citing the deputy governor of Aden, Nayef al-Bakri. Airstrikes were also reported in the central city of Taiz, where the Shiite rebels had seized the headquarters of a brigade loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government, led by the exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Shortly after Houthi rebels seized the headquarters of a brigade in Taiz, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched a fresh airstrike against the rebel fighters inside the base, according to reports. Meanwhile, ground fighting between rebels and pro-government forces were also reported by residents in Aden and other towns on Wednesday, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

It is not yet clear if the airstrikes -- which come after the Saudi-led coalition announced a new political initiative titled "Operation Renewal of Hope" -- was a short-term resumption of hostilities, CNN reported.