he Yemeni government has sent a letter to the UN asking “to quickly intervene by land forces to save” the nation. The contested cities of Aden and Taiz are of particular concern to anti-Houthi forces, according to the letter seen by Reuters.

Yemen’s UN envoy Khaled Alyemany reportedly sent the letter on Wednesday. Such a move could provide a legal ground for putting foreign boots on the ground in the war-torn country.

Addressed to the UN Security Council, the letter also asks human rights groups to record “barbaric violations against a defenseless population” and blames the Houthi Shiite rebels for the death of civilians.

Read more
'Limited' coalition ground force in Aden, Yemen, more coming - reports

A similar document, informing the Security Council that Yemen requested military help from the Gulf Arab states, was sent to the UN just a day before a Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched air strikes against the Houthi forces on March 24.

Despite the end of the first phase of the Saudi-led campaign, codenamed “Decisive Storm,” on April 21, the fighting continues to rage on in Yemen. The second phase has been named operation “Restoring Hope,” which was said to be focused on diplomacy, but did not rule out new airstrikes.

At least 120 people died in Yemen’s violence on Wednesday, the majority of them civilians, according to Reuters. At least 40 of those died while attempting to flee the southern port city of Aden by boat. One report claims the vessel was struck by Houthi shells.