Yemenis protest against Houthi violence in Taiz

TAIZ, Yemen (AA) – Hundreds of Yemenis on Tuesday participated in a rally in Taiz to condemn continued violence in the city.

Speaking at the rally which was organized by rights activists, human rights activist Faisal Al-Assali denounced the Houthi militia for “violations against civilians.”

He said the agreement that the Houthis claim to abide by is one-sided, and despite the opening of Sana’a International Airport and the Port of Hodeidah, Taiz is still besieged.

Al-Assali called for serious international actions to stop the Houthis’ violations in the southwestern city.

Activist Shaima Ramzy slammed the “international silence regarding the Houthis’ crimes” and demanded that the Presidential Council intervene in the city.

On Saturday, 11 children were killed as a result of Houthi bombardment in a densely populated neighborhood in the city center.

The Houthis denied responsibility for the bombing.

On June 2, Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend the UN-brokered truce for two additional months. Under the ceasefire, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were halted. The agreement also allowed the operation of commercial flights from rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

They remain in control of the capital as well as large swathes of the country despite a Saudi-backed military campaign aimed at restoring the government.