Saudi-led war machine takes on Yemen anew

At the end of five full days of a humanitarian truce, Saudi Arabia has reignited its war machine, pounding Yemen with missiles and artillery.

Saudi Arabia resumed its offensive on the impoverished Arab country hours after the end of the ceasefire, which expired at 11 p.m. on Sunday, with Saudi warplanes pounding a number of civilian and military centres in the Aden, Hajjah, and Sa'ada provinces, Iran's Press TV reported on Monday.

In Aden, warplanes fired five rockets at the districts of Attawahi, Khormaksar, the Political Security Bureau in Fath, as well as the Ras Marmot barracks belonging to the Yemeni naval forces. The Aden airport and the al-Sawlaban military barracks in the city were also hit with three rockets.

Rockets also landed in the Sahar, Zahir and Ghamr districts of Sa'ada province, while the Saudi artillery targeted Dalih and Ghawr mountains in the northern Yemeni border areas.

The truce took effect nearly seven weeks after Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 -- without a UN mandate -- in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The movement currently controls the capital Sanaa and major provinces, and the Saudi-led strikes aim to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The toll from the battles between Houthis and Hadi supporters and the airstrikes have exceeded 1,200, while more than 3,000 people were wounded across the country, according to statistics released by the Yemeni government.

About 16 million of Yemen's population of 25 million need assistance and water supplies, and health services are on the verge of collapse, aid organisations have warned.