The ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Shi’ite Houthis is “broadly holding,” according to observers, but a handful of Saudi airstrikes have been reported, and the Houthis have been engaged in a ground battle with Sunni tribesmen in Abyan.
Abyan was the de facto capital of the “Ansar al-Sharia” statelet that emerged in 2011 during the Arab Spring, and has been dominated by al-Qaeda and its allies ever since. The Houthis took the city late Tuesday, apparently shortly after the Saudi truce began.
The Saudis are apparently viewing this as a violation of their demand that the Houthis “not move,” even though fighting a random Sunni military over a town isn’t in and of itself a violation.
Saudi airstrikes were also reported at several other locations across Yemen, though not in as large of numbers as previous days. Both sides claims the other had fired at them along the border as well, though there were no indications of new casualties in this.
