The Yemen Hezbollah Movement Houthi leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, has called on all devout supporters to conform to a ceasefire proclaimed by the Yemeni government.

“The Yemen Hezbollah Movement Houthi movement, hereby, calls on all devout supporters to break off fighting on all fronts and conform to a ceasefire earlier proclaimed by the government,” said a statement released by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s office on Thursday.

“All roads will be open, roadblocks removed and tranquility and stability will prevail once the ceasefire is in effect,” the statement added.

On Thursday, Sana’a reached an agreement with the Houthis to put an end to a long-running government offensive that claimed the lives of civilians and displaced thousands from their homes in northern villages.

“The ceasefire is going to be in effect at 12 midnight local time (2100 GMT),” a Yemeni official had said on Thursday.

The Yemeni government and the northern Yemen Hezbollah Movement resistance fighters, known as Yemen Hezbollah Movement Houthis, had been involved in exchanging proposals in recent days to settle the conflict.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana’a and Houthi fighters. The conflict intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched Operation Scorched Earth in an attempt to crush the fighters in the northern province of Sa’ada.

Riyadh joined Yemen’s offensive against the Yemen Hezbollah Movement Houthis after accusing the Yemen Hezbollah Movement fighters of killing a Saudi border guard and occupying two border villages on November 3, 2009. Saudi jets began bombing Yemen’s northern villages the following day.

According to Yemen Hezbollah Movement Houthi fighters, Saudis have used toxic materials, including white phosphorus bombs, indiscriminately in northern Yemen.

Houthi fighters said that the US military also was involved in bombing the northern Yemen conflict regions of Amran, Hajjah and Sa’ada.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that since 2004, up to 250,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada and take refuge in overcrowded camps set up by the United Nations.

Saudi fighter jets keep bombing Houthi positions in northern Yemen along the border the country shares with the oil-rich kingdom, killing more than a dozen people.

According to a statement released by the fighters on Monday, Saudi forces carried out 17 aerial attacks on Dammaj, destroying a mosque in the northern region.

The warplanes also bombarded Muhazat, Wadi’a, Sha’af, Jebel Razih, al-Malaheet districts as well as the rugged villages in close proximity to the border regions of northern Yemen.

Several homes were demolished while more than a dozen died in the strikes, the statement added.

During the operation, Saudi forces reportedly fired some 450 rockets against the beleaguered areas of Jebel al-Dukhan, Jebel al-Madood, Marwi, Shada, Qamamat, al-Safih as well as al-Jabiri, some 600 miles (966 kilometers) from the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana’a and the Houthi fighters. It intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched ‘Operation Scorched Earth’ in an attempt to crush the fighters in the northern province of Sa’ada.

The Houthis accuse the Yemeni government of violating of their civil liberties, political, economic and religious marginalization as well as large-scale corruption.

Saudi forces began fighting with Yemeni Shia resistance fighters, known as Houthis, and bombing their positions on November 4th after accusing the fighters of killing Saudi border guards.

Houthi fighters say that Saudi forces continually strike Yemeni villages and indiscriminately target civilians. According to the fighters, the Saudis use banned toxic materials, including white phosphorus bombs, indiscriminately in northern Yemen.

The US military also has been involved in bombing Yemen’s northern regions of Amran, Hajjah and Sa’ada, according to Houthi fighters.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that since 2004, up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada and take refuge at overcrowded camps set up by the United Nations.

Saudi fighter jets have launched another round of airstikes on Houthi positions in northern Yemen.

According to a statement issued by the Houthi fighters on Sunday, Saudi forces carried out 24 aerial attacks on Jebel Razih, Sha’af, Bani Maaz, and villages in close proximity to the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

The statement added that Saudi forces fired 1,860 rockets at the areas of Jebel al-Dukhan, Jebel al-Madood, Dhar Hamar, Sabba, al-Malaheet, and Shada.

The conflict in northern Yemen between Sana’a and Houthi fighters began in 2004. The conflict intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched Operation Scorched Earth in an attempt to crush the fighters in the northern province of Sa’ada.

The Houthis accuse the Yemeni government of violating their civil rights and marginalizing them politically, economically, and religiously.

Saudi forces began fighting with Yemeni Shia resistance fighters, known as Houthis, and bombing their positions on November 4 after accusing the fighters of killing Saudi border guards.

Houthi fighters say that Saudi forces strike Yemeni villages and indiscriminately target civilians. They also say that the Saudis are using toxic materials, including white phosphorus, in the attacks on northern Yemen.

The US military has also been involved in the bombing of Yemen’s northern regions of Amran, Hajjah, and Sa’ada, according to the Houthi fighters.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that since 2004, up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada and take refuge in overcrowded camps set up by the United Nations.

Yemeni human rights groups have condemned orchestrated air raids by Yemeni, Saudi and the US forces against civilians in the northern province of Sa’ada.

The groups said the attacks, which have killed scores of civilians including women and children, amounted to “war crimes.”

The Yemeni National NGO Coalition for Child Rights Care and the Yemeni Center for Human Rights also called on the Yemeni and Saudi governments to stop the attacks.

The groups also urged Sana’a and Riyadh to take measures in order to open an investigation into the war crimes against civilians.

The Yemeni military has launched a major offensive, dubbed ‘Operation Scorched Earth’, against Houthi Shias in the northern sector of the country.

The government accuses the fighters led by Abdul Malik al-Houthi of seeking to restore the imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 coup.

The Houthis, however, argue that they are defending their rights against government marginalization, a policy which they believe has been adopted under pressure from Saudi-backed Wahhabi extremists.

The Saudi Arabian government has added to the problem by launching its own offensive against northern Yemen.

The US military is also said to raid Yemen’s northern rugged regions of Amran, Hajjah and Sa’ada which have already been the target of joint Saudi-Yemen offensives.

According to UN estimates, during the past five years, up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada to take refuge in overcrowded camps set up by the international body.

Houthi fighters say they have destroyed several Saudi Arabian tanks as they attempted to cross the border into the northern Yemeni provinces of Amran and Harf Sufyan.

The Saudi military push towards Mount Mamdouh has failed, the Houthis said on Friday, adding that the late evening clashes destroyed three Saudi tanks and killed several soldiers.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana’a and Houthi fighters. Relative peace had returned to the region until August 11, when the Yemeni army launched a major offensive, dubbed Operation Scorched Earth, against Sa’ada.

The government claims that the fighters, who are named after their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, seek to restore the Shia imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 military coup.

The Houthis, however, say they are defending their people’s civil rights, which the government has undermined under pressure from Saudi-backed Wahhabi extremists.

The Saudi Arabian government has added to the problem by launching its own offensive against northern Yemen.

While Riyadh insists that it is targeting Houthi positions on ‘Saudi territory’, the fighters say Saudi Arabia is bombing Yemeni villages with chemical weapons and causing the death of Shia civilians.

As Sana’a does not allow independent media into the conflict zone, there are no clear estimates available as to how many people have been killed in the Shia province of Sa’ada since 2004 or in the recent wave of violence.

According to UN estimates, however, during the past five years, up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada to take refuge in overcrowded camps set up by the international body.

Houthi fighters in Yemen say they have killed a top army commander in northern Sa’ada province, where the fighters inflicted heavy losses on government forces.

Brigadier General Amr Ali Mousa Al-Uuzali was killed in an ambush on Sunday, the office of the Houthis’ leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a statement.

The body of the commander was taken from Sa’ada to Safa’, Yemeni media reported.

Fierce clashes were underway in the area of Razih, where the fighters along with the local residents succeeded to capture two military headquarters.

This is while military sources claimed that a group of Houthis revolted against their leaders and refused to take part in the ongoing battle.

Based on the report, some of the fighters surrendered themselves to the authorities in Sa’ada and Amran provinces.

The leader of Houthi fighters say they have captured hundreds of Yemeni soldiers and are prepared for a long war should the government fail to announce a ceasefire.

In an interview with the Qatari Al-Arab newspaper, leader of Yemen’s Zaidi Shia resistance fighters Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Wednesday that the six-week long offensive has proved that Shia fighters are able to resist the army’s fierce attacks.

“We have made remarkable achievements during the conflict, including capturing hundreds of government troops among them a number of high-ranking officials and seizing large amounts of weapons and ammunition”, Abdul Malik said.

The resistance leader also blamed the army for causing heavy civilian causalities and damage by launching air strikes in civilian areas in Saada and Amran provinces.

The group had earlier said that government troops have invaded residential homes and farms near Saada, turning them into military bases adding that the region’s residents are running for their lives.

The resistance movement also announced that they have deterred a military attack in Amran and forced government troops to retreat.

While Sanaa says the group is trying to overthrow the government and implement a Shia religious law. The Houthis, who have been fighting government since 2004, say they are “defending their community against discrimination” and government aggression.

The offensive has left scores of civilians dead and over 50,000 others displaced. UN aid agencies have repeatedly warned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the area.

Yemen prepares for a new round of military actions against the country’s Muslim Shia fighters to open a strategic road in the northern Saada province.

The official Saba news agency cited a military source as claiming that the army had inflicted heavy losses on the Huthi fighters, and that the army managed to take control of several positions.

The source said the army was preparing to advance on the main road linking to Saada to the town of Harf Sufyan, which the military said it seized on Thursday.

The Sana government launched Operation ‘Scorched Earth’ on August 11 to uproot the Muslim Shia fighters who are accused of seeking a return to the Zaidi imamate overthrown in a 1962 coup.

According to the military source, the impending offensive was aimed at opening the road between Harf Sufyan in Amran province and the town of Saada in the province of the same name.

The Yemeni official said the army has pounded parts of the road and is now clearing Houthi elements, landmines and roadside bombs “in order to permit the route to be opened up to humanitarian aid convoys.”

Amid the military’s claims of heavy blows at the Huthis, local sources report clashes between the army and tribal fighters in the province.

Meanwhile, relief groups have voiced concerns over humanitarian conditions as a UN-estimated 35,000 people have been displaced over the past few weeks by the heavy fighting in Saada.

Surrounded by fighters and regularly bombarded by military warplanes and helicopters, Saada remains cut from the rest of the country and is faced with a pressing shortage of food.

Yemeni army has killed 17 Muslim Shia fighters and destroyed several vehicles that were carrying aid to the fighters, the official Saba news agency reports.

According to the agency, Yemeni troops killed 17 Zaidi local fighters and arrested four others in fighting late on Wednesday in the mountainous province of Saada, north of the country, as the army has stepped up its all-out offensive against the Zaidi Shia Muslims – also known as Houthis.

Jet fighters hit posts of the Houthi fighters as the troops were exchanging fire with Houthis, a local official told Saba.

The army has also destroyed several vehicles that were carrying aid to the fighters, he added.

The Yemeni military launched an offensive against the Zaidi Muslims in Saada and Amran provinces three weeks ago, accusing the Zaidis of trying to restore a Zaidi imamate system, overthrown in a 1962 coup.

Zaidi Muslims say they are defending themselves against religious oppression and they have vowed to retaliate against the attacks until their rights are achieved.

They also accuse Saudi Arabia and al-Qaeda of helping the Yemeni government in its crackdown on Houthis.

Yemen’s recent military offensive against Zaidi Shia fighters – dubbed ‘Operation Scorched Earth’ – has left scores of civilians dead and thousands of others displaced.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has warned about the dire humanitarian situation in Saada province since fighting has prevented emergency aid from reaching the crisis-hit area.

As Yemen’s military offensive against Shia Muslim resistance fighters enters a fifth week, the army claims to have recaptured several Houthi positions in the north.

The military said Wednesday that after two days of heavy fighting in Sadaa province that included air strikes, government troops managed to recapture the Jabal al-Ahmar district in south of Saada city, and that they have cleared the area of Zaidi fighters.

It has also claimed to have inflicted heavy human losses on the Muslim Zaidi fighters, also known as Houthis, following what the army called ‘deadly air strikes in the region.’

“Fighter jets have dealt the rebels a painful blow, killing many of them during the confrontations and troops have cleared the mountains of them and taken up positions there,” the state news agency Saba quoted a military official as saying.

The fighters, led by Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, have not commented on the government report yet. Both sides have often claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the other side, something difficult to verify since no journalist are allowed in the conflict zone.

Also on Wednesday, Yemen’s Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi claimed that more than 100 Zaidi Shia fighters had been arrested and were being interrogated. He also said that government’s conditions for a ceasefire, which includes Houthis’ withdrawal from all districts of Saada and mountainous sites and the return of their weapons, was non-negotiable.

According to United Nations figures, more than 35,000 people have been displaced by weeks of fighting in Saada and Amran provinces. The world body has repeatedly warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region. Houthi fighters accuse the government forces of preventing the displaced civilians from returning to their homes.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed since the Yemeni government launched its “Scorched Earth” operation against Muslim fighters on August 11.

As Yemen continues its military campaign against the Houthi fighters in the north, US President Barack Obama offers assistance to battle Shia Muslims.

On Sunday, President Ali Abdullah Saleh received a letter from Obama, which pledged economic aid and assistance in fighting terrorism, the Yemeni SABA news agency reported.

“The security of Yemen is vital for the security of the United States,” said Obama in the letter, which was delivered to Saleh by the assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism John Brennan.

In the letter, Obama hailed what he called the partnership between the two countries in fighting terrorism and said that the Shia Muslims organization poses a common threat to everyone.

The US president also said that Washington would adopt a new initiative to help Yemen confront “development challenges and supporting reform efforts,” along with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, donor states and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Obama’s letter came as the Yemeni government forces once again breached a temporary truce with the Zaidi Shia fighters they are fighting with in the north.

Since 2004, the Yemini army and the Zaidi Shia fighters have been engaged in violent periodic clashes, in a war which has claimed the lives of thousands and displaced up to 15,000 civilians- based on UN High Commission for Refugees estimates.

After just over a year of relative peace, a fifth round of fighting erupted on August 11, as the Yemeni government decided to launch a new wave of attacks against the northern provinces of Sa’dah and Amran.

Since then, several attempts have been made to restore truce between the two sides, but the government has renewed the fighting.

The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of trying to restore a Zaidi imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 coup.

The rebels, however, say they are defending their people, which make up around 40 of Yemen’s population, against religious oppression and fighting for their civil rights.

The conflict has also affected other regional states, as San’a has accused Iran, Libya and Iraq of providing the fighters with weapons- allegations that have been denied by all three countries.

The rebels have also claimed that Saudi Arabia is “directly supporting” the government’s military offensive by providing it with different types of weapons, military vehicles and financial aid.

A website for Houthi fighters recently released new footage of what they say proves that the Yemeni army is using Saudi Arabian weapons.

Meanwhile in Iraq, Independent MP Izzat Shabandar lashed out at San’a on Monday, calling its accusations “ridiculous” and charging that Yemen has created a sanctuary for Saddam Hossein loyalists and al-Qaeda leaders.

After Pakistan, Yemen is seen as the primary haven for al-Qaeda militants, who are using the country to organize and train more recruits.

Although there was no mention in the SABA report of Obama making any specific reference to the conflict with Houthi fighters, it did point out that the US president had touched upon the need to fight al-Qaeda.

Last month, Yemeni forces launched anti-terrorist operations in a tribal area known as an al-Qaeda safe haven.

However, after a short while and without reaching any significant results, they ended the operation claiming that it was more imperative to address the situation in the north.

Obama’s offer to help fight Al-Qaeda to Sana’a – which has not demonstrated a strong detrmination to eradicate the terorist group -comes as the latest opinion polls indicate that most Americans are opposed to US “war on terrror” in Afghanistan.

A recent national poll published by the CNN showed that 57 percent of Americans are opposed to the Afghan war, while only 42 percent of respondents approve of Washington’s alleged military campaign against the Taliban and their al-Qaeda allies.

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to allegedly eradicate militancy and arrest militan leaders .More than 8 years after the invasion, top Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders arre still at large.