Sanaa--A Saudi-led coalition announced the start of a five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen on Tuesday, more than six weeks after launching air strikes against Iran-backed rebels.
Here are the key dates in Yemen since the coalition intervened after Huthi Shiite rebels overran the capital Sanaa and advanced on second city Aden:
March 26, 2015: Saudi Arabia launches air strikes on Huthi rebels, in what is dubbed Operation Decisive Storm, forging a coalition of nine countries to defend embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
April 2: Rebels storm Hadi's palace in Aden, withdrawing a day later after overnight air raids by the Saudi-led coalition.
April 8: The US, which accuses Iran of backing the rebels, says its air force has started daily refuelling for warplanes in the coalition.
April 14: The UN Security Council imposes an arms embargo on Yemeni rebels and demands they relinquish territory they have seized.
April 17: Al-Qaeda militants in southeast Yemen seize heavy weapons as they overrun a key camp in Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla.
April 19: The first cracks appear among the Huthi rebels, who rely on renegade soldiers for support, as the military commander of Hadramawt province pledges support for Hadi.
April 21: The coalition declares an end to its military campaign, saying the threat to Saudi Arabia and its neighbours has been removed, but resumes strikes a day later in Yemen's third city Taez as rebels seize an army headquarters.
May 5: Huthis bombard the Saudi town of P, killing several people in their first such attack since the coalition operations began. The alliance warns they have crossed a "red line" and will pay a high price, before launching intense strikes.
May 8: Saudi Arabia says a humanitarian ceasefire will start on May 12. Two days later, the rebels say they have agreed to respond "positively" to efforts to "end the suffering".
May 12: The coalition says the humanitarian ceasefire has begun but warns the rebels it will strike back at any violations.
AFP
