Dubai - Al Houthi drones on Thursday attacked a Yemeni government military parade in Lahaj province, killing several people, Saudi and Al Houthi media reported.
The Houthi rebels said they carried out the attack on Al Anad air base in the government-held southern province of Lahij.
According to Al-Arabiya website five members of the Yemeni army were killed and others were injured. Among those wounded is the Yemen Army Chief Saleh Zanadani, Governor of Lahj Province Ahmed Al Turki, Spokesman for fourth region and Head of Intelligence Mohammad Saleh Tamah and the Military Police Commander.
The attack by the rebels, known as Houthis, comes as a blow to Yemen peace efforts after a cease-fire was signed for the key port city of Hodeida last month, and just a day after U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council that the agreement had brought a considerable de-escalation to the conflict.
Pro-rebel news website Al Masirah said the attack was carried out by a drone that targeted "invaders and mercenaries" at Al Anad Air Base in the southern province of Lahj, leaving "dozens of dead and wounded."
Military officials say the dead and wounded include "officers and senior leaders" of the coalition troops.
The Houthis said in November they were halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Yemeni allies, but tensions have risen recently over how to implement a U.N.-sponsored peace deal.
Hopes were raised last month that the country was moving toward peace, after the two sides agreed to a prisoner swap and cease-fire in Hodeida, where rival forces were to withdraw to allow humanitarian aid flows to return and hopefully relieve a country pushed to the brink of famine by war.
Fighting has largely abated in Hodeida but progress on the withdrawal has been slow.
The U.N. humanitarian aid chief Wednesday accused the rebels of blocking humanitarian supplies traveling from areas under their control to government-held areas. Mark Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council that the rebels also recently informed humanitarian agencies that 72 hours' notice is required ahead of any movements instead of 48 hours.
