Yemen rebels say air raid kills 120, accuse U.S. 15 Dec 2009 21:08:06 GMT

SANAA, Dec 15 Yemeni Shi'ite rebels accused the U.S. air force on Tuesday of joining attacks against them, and killing at least 120 people in a raid in the north of the poor Arab state.

"The savage crime committed by the U.S. air force shows the real face of the United States," said the northern rebels, who often report attacks by the Yemeni and Saudi fighter planes, on their website. There was no immediate report of U.S. comment on the alleged incident.

The rebels, who are fighting the Yemeni army and forces of neighbouring Saudi Arabia, posted videos on the Internet that appeared to show people trying to clear rubble covering human bodies.

On Sunday, the rebels said at least 70 people had been killed in a Saudi air raid on a market in the northern town of Razeh. The reports could not be verified as aid workers and media have limited access to the conflict zones.

U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, fears the growing instability in neighbouring Yemen could turn into a major security threat for the kingdom by allowing al Qaeda to gain a stronger foothold there.

In Geneva, a U.N. official said U.N. agencies had appealed for $177 million to help people affected by the conflict.

"The humanitarian situation is deteriorating, notably for 200,000 people displaced by successive conflicts since 2004," Elisabeth Byrs of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva.

"We demand full and unlimited access to these displaced populations as well as a halt to attacks on humanitarian convoys," Byrs said.