Sanaa - Saudi Arabia pledged Saturday to cover the entire $274 million in humanitarian aid sought by the UN for conflict-torn Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Shiite rebels for three weeks.
The United Nations says hundreds of people have died and thousands of families fled their homes in the war, which has also killed six Saudi security personnel in border skirmishes.
Coalition warplanes on Saturday continued strikes around the Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa, where thick clouds of grey smoke and a fireball rose from one military post.
At least 27 people died in the southwestern city of Taez during overnight clashes between loyalist forces and the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels, as well as in coalition air raids, medical sources said.
Saudi King Salman ordered the humanitarian pledge following a United Nations appeal on Friday for $274 million (253 million euros) in emergency assistance for the millions affected by Yemen's war.
The kingdom "stands with its Yemeni brothers" and hopes for "the restoration of security and stability", the state Saudi Press Agency said, quoting an official statement.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Johannes Van Der Klaauw said in the appeal: "Ordinary families are struggling to access healthcare, water, food and fuel -- basic requirements for their survival."
Aid has only trickled into Yemen, largely because of restrictions imposed by the coalition on its airspace and ports.
The rebels swept into Sanaa last September from their highland stronghold and then advanced south on the port of Aden, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh.
AFP
