Saudi coalition gives Yemen rebel stronghold ultimatum

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A Saudi-led carrying out airstrikes against Yemen's Shiite rebels gave the residents of a rebel stronghold in Yemen along the kingdom's border an ultimatum to leave the region by nightfall on Friday, state TV reported.

The escalation comes in response to recent cross border attacks by the rebels, known as Houthis, targeting Saudi cities near the Saudi-Yemen frontier.

The Ekhbariya TV said the Saudi-led coalition has declared the rebel stronghold of Saada a war zone and said its entire territory would from now on be considered a "military target," urging all civilians to leave by 7 p.m. local time on Friday.

Coalition planes have dropped leaflets to Saada's residents, asking them to leave.

Also Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported that warplanes destroyed a land-mine factory, a telecommunications complex and command centers in Saada.

In addition to the more than 50 airstrikes, helicopters dropped leaflets calling on residents to stay away from rebel positions and houses, said Yemeni officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The airstrikes — and the escalation surrounding the ultimatum — further throw into question a five-day conditional ceasefire announced on Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, so that humanitarian aid can reach millions of civilians caught up in the conflict.

Since the Saudi-led campaign started March 26, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Yemen.

The Saudi airstrikes have been pummeling Saada for more than a month since the start of a campaign against the rebels, who are allied with forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Houthis and Saleh's forces overran the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, last September and are currently engaged in an offensive in southern Yemen and Aden — the south's main city. The offensive forced internationally-recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee the country in late March and seek exile in Saudi Arabia.

With airstrikes destroying large stockpiles of Houthi weaponry, the rebels responded by carrying out cross-border attacks targeting Saudi cities near the Yemeni frontier. On Tuesday, Houthis fired rockets and mortars into the kingdom, killing at least three people.

The coalition spokesman, Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, vowed a "harsh response" to the attacks and said the Houthis "made a mistake by targeting Saudi cities."