Airstrikes pound Yemen rebel positions in Taez

Saudi-led coalition air strikes hit a camp housing rebel troops in Yemen’s third city Taez on Friday, after a night of clashes and raids throughout the war-hit country, residents said.

Warplanes struck the camp, which was being used by a rebel army unit loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in central Taez, they said.

The main southern city of Aden also came under coalition fire as clashes between supporters of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and rebels raged until dawn, pro-government militiamen told AFP.

Residents in Yemen’s eastern Marib province also reported overnight air strikes and clashes between local tribesmen and rebel forces -- Shiite Houthis allied with Saleh’s loyalist troops.

AFP could not immediately obtain a casualty toll.

The Saudi-led coalition last month launched a campaign of air strikes in Yemen aimed at halting the advance of Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies.

On Tuesday, the coalition said it was starting a new phase of its campaign aiming to resume Yemen’s political process, deliver aid and fight “terrorism,” as air strikes continued.

The coalition had airdropped weapons and ammunition to supporters of Hadi, who fled to Saudi Arabia late last month as the Iran-backed Houthis approached his Aden refuge.