Sanaa--A Saudi-initiated humanitarian truce took effect in Yemen late Tuesday, after 24 hours of intensive bombing by a military coalition led by the kingdom targeting Iran-backed rebels.
But the Saudi-led coalition warned the Shiite Huthi rebels it stood ready to strike back at any violations of the pause that comes after more than six weeks of bombing.
Shortly after the truce began guns fell relatively silent in the southern city of Aden, which has seen heavy combat between pro-government forces and the Huthis and their allies.
Lahj and Abyan in Yemen's south were also calmer, while rebels moved troops to reinforce positions at Marib, near the capital Sanaa, and Dhaleh, witnesses said.
Sanaa was calm about an hour after the ceasefire started.
The five-day pause aims to allow deliveries of desperately needed relief supplies, although aid groups have already warned they need more time.
"We are committed to respect this," Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri said, warning the rebels to do the same.
"We will be ready to react to any violation of the pause," he told AFP.
Explosions at an arms depot in the capital hit by coalition strikes since Monday killed at least 69 people and wounded 250, mostly civilians, an official said.
The blasts at Mount Noqum, on the eastern outskirts of the rebel-held capital, lasted until midday Tuesday, when a fresh wave of strikes hit the depot, an AFP correspondent said.
UNESCO director general Irina Bokova condemned "severe damage" caused to heritage sites in Yemen, such as Sanaa's old city, during intense bombing.
She called on "all parties to keep cultural heritage out of the conflict".
The newly appointed UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, arrived in Sanaa for talks on restarting a collapsed political dialogue.
"We are not ready to announce a date for talks but that remains the goal," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that "the fact that he got into Sanaa and is meeting with the Huthis today is a sign in the right direction."
AFP
