Smoke billows after an airstrike in Yemen’s central city of Ibb.

The Saudi-led coalition launched on Thursday airstrikes against Yemeni rebels and militias belonging to former President Ali Abdulllah Saleh for the second day after it announced the stopping of a previous campaign on Tuesday.

The airstrikes targeted the militias in Ibb city, around 200 kilometers south of the capital Sanaa.

Warplanes from the coalition also struck Houthi targets in villages north of Yemen’s southern city of Aden early on Thursday, residents in the area said.

Targets included tanks of the Iranian-allied Houthi movement, the residents told Reuters.

The coalition ended Operation Decisive Storm and heralded the start of Operation Restoring Hope, signaling a fresh space for diplomatic and political efforts to solve the crisis between warring parties in Yemen.

However, the coalition said it would continue some airstrikes to enforce an air and sea blockade to prevent weapons shipments reaching the Iranian-backed Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh.

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