Yemen rivals battle on despite declared end to Saudi raids

Rival forces fought on in Yemen on Wednesday despite a declared halt to a Saudi-led bombing campaign, showing how tough it may be to find a political solution to a war stirring animosities between rival Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Houthi fighters captured an army brigade base loyal to the government in Yemen's central city of Taiz following heavy fighting. A Saudi air strike hit the brigade headquarters shortly afterwards, residents said.

The brigade, along with several other army units, had declared its loyalty to exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Pro-Hadi militiamen fought clashes on Wednesday throughout southern Yemen against the Houthis and their army allies loyal to powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and residents in the main port city of Aden reported heavy tank shelling and bursts of automatic gunfire in several neighbourhoods.