JIZAN – Saudi airstrikes continued on Wednesday to target northern Yemen as the Sana'a government said it would reconsider ceasefire with the fighters should they comply with its demands. The Houthi fighters said yesterday that Saudi warplanes carried out almost a dozen air raids in northern villages. According to the resistance fighters, Saudi forces fired dozens of rockets and artillery shells from the border region of Al-Jabiri, which was returned to Riyadh after the fighters initiated a ceasefire with the Kingdom two weeks ago. Riyadh, however, continued its offensives alongside with the Yemeni government, which also rejected the Houthis' peace offer, highlighting their sixth condition for a Houthi pledge not to attack Saudi Arabia. Yemen's five conditions for a ceasefire included removing checkpoints, ending banditry, handing over all military equipment and weapons, and releasing civilians and military personnel. The fighters offered last week to accept the truce on the condition that the government halts its military attacks on the northern areas. Yemen's Defence Ministry, however, said it would stop its war on the Houthis only if they would comply with the government's sixth condition. Riyadh joined Yemen's offensive against the Houthis after accusing them of killing a Saudi border guard and occupying two border villages on November 3. Saudi jets began bombing Yemen's northern villages the following day. Houthis reject the Saudi allegations and insist that they defended themselves against Saudi incursions into northern Yemen in collaboration with the Yemeni military offensive on the north. Meanwhile, Yemen said on Wednesday that it would not be intimidated by threats made by al-Qaeda leaders, vowing to continue its strikes against their hideouts across the country. "Threats made by al-Qaeda group from time to time will not intimidate the (Yemeni) security agencies, which reflect despair and isolation of the terrorist elements in Yemen," a statement by the Interior Ministry said.
