Over 140 rebels die in raid

       The army killed more than 140 Shi'ite rebels after the insurgents launched an assault on the government's mansion in the mountain city of Sa'ada in northern Yemen on Sunday, a military official said.
       "The army killed more than 140 rebels after thwarting an attempted attack on Sa'ada," the official said, describing the fighting as "the fiercest" since the start of the military offensive on Aug 11.
       The rebels started their attack on the city before dawn from three directions in an attempt to take the government's regional headquarters, but the army was able to foil the advance, the official said.
       "So far more than 140 bodies have been found," he added.
       Meanwhile, sporadic clashes erupted in the Harf Sufyan area in Amran province which borders Sa'ada, witnesses said.
       The government on Friday announced a unilateral suspension of fighting, saying it would become a permanent ceasefire if the rebels, whom it accuses of being backed by Iran, abided by certain conditions.
       A rebel spokesman said they would "examine" the conditions, but hostilities resumed on Saturday.
       The main government demand is that the rebels "respect the cease-fire and the opening of roads, evacuate their positions and free captured civilians and soldiers".
       Meanwhile, the top commander of the rebels, Abdul Malek al-Huthi, was quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Sunday as saying the state was "not serious" in its truce offer and rebuffing government claims his group is backed by Iran."The government meant to use it [the truce] for military purposes," Mr Huthi said, adding the accusations that Iran backs the rebels morally and financially are groundless.