The Saudi Arabian Air Force has launched a new round of assaults on northern Yemen, causing devastation and more civilian casualties.

The Houthi fighters said on Friday that the Saudi warplanes had launched more than 25 attacks on the areas, wounding two women and destroying four civilian residences.

A number of soldiers stormed two houses in the Shia-populated Sa'ada Province, but were ejected by the locals. Eight servicemen were killed in the ensuing conflict, including a lieutenant identifies one Ahmad Nasser Saleh al-Jamili.

The Saudi military released more than 174 rockets and mortars on the areas of al-Dhaher, Qamamat, Ghafereh, al-Rammadiat and Shada.

The Houthis have been resisting the aerial bombardments since November, when Saudi Arabia joined the Yemeni central government's maximized armed campaign against the Shia fighters.

The government has accused the Houthis of violating the terms of an earlier ceasefire agreement by taking foreign visitors hostage. Riyadh, on its part, claims that the Houthis had been engaged in cross-border attacks on the Kingdom.

The Shia fighters, however, say they are defending their people's civil rights, which Sana'a has undermined under pressure from the Saudi-backed Wahhabis — adherents to an extremely intolerant interpretation of Islam.

The raids by both sides, meanwhile, rage on despite a number of peace initiatives by the Houthis.

End Item / 143