Airstrikes in Saudi Arabia put pressure on Yemen ceasefire

A 72-hour truce in Yemen came under pressure on Thursday when missileswerefired from Yemen into southern Saudi Arabia,according to a Saudi-ledArab coalition.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies have been embroiled in a conflict in Yemen since March 2015, fighting on behalf of an exiled Yemeni government against the Houthi group, which controls the capital Sanaa.

• 'No one is speaking for Yemen' as 370,000 malnourished children face risk of death

A ceasefire brokered by the UN took effect late on Wednesday, raising hopes of an end to a war that has devastated the Arab world's poorest country and left it on the verge of famine.

That brought Sanaa its first night without airstrikes in nearly three months and the truce was generally holding across the Arabian Peninsula state, residents and officials said.

But rockets were fired by the the Houthi group at the Saudi Arabian cities ofJazan and Najran, the Saudi-led military coalition said in a statement.

It said "43 violations were committed along the border ... in which snipers and various weapons were used, including missiles."

The Houthis said they had launched attacks on Saudi military camps across the border over the past two days and that anArabcoalition airstrike on Thursday killed three civilians in northern Saada province.

Coalition committed to ceasefire

In the southern city of Zinjibar, al-Qaeda militants ambushed a checkpoint and killed five soldiers and injured several others, a local official told Reuters a sign of how the war has spiralled out of control.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) hasexploited the chaos to expand itspresence in southern towns and cities close to one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The Arab coalition said in a statement on Thursday it remained committed to the truce despite "ongoing violations."

Coalition aircraft had bombed Sanaa every night since Aug. 7, residents said, starting after peace talks broke down between the Houthis and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The truce has the possibility for extension if it holds, opening the way for aid supplies to isolated regions where hunger and disease, including cholera, have spread.

Several previous ceasefires have failed to pave the way for an end to the conflict, although they have significantly slowed fighting in a war that has killed at least 10,000 people.