Yemen Regime Forces Shell Taez, Kill One

Forces loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh shelled several neighborhoods across the flashpoint city of Taez, killing one person, medics and residents said Wednesday.

"One person was killed and three others were wounded" in the shelling on Tuesday night, said a medical official.

The artillery shelling also destroyed nearly a dozen homes in Taez, Yemen's second-largest city, residents said.

The attacks were mainly concentrated in the area surrounding al-Huriya (Liberty) Square, the epicenter of anti-regime protests since January.

A security official in Taez said the attacks targeted "militants from al-Islah (reform opposition) party who have been deployed in residential areas across the city."

Tensions have soared in the impoverished country after 11 months of deadly protests aimed at unseating Saleh, who signed an agreement earlier this month under which he would transfer power to his deputy within three months.

The U.N. Security Council on Monday called for those behind killings and rights abuses in Yemen to be "held accountable," as demands grew for Saleh to face trial.

And the 15-nation Security Council "reiterated that all those responsible for violence, human rights violations and abuses should be held accountable" after a meeting on Yemen. It did not name Saleh.

Hundreds have been killed across Yemen amid a weakening central government that has left the country's southern and eastern regions facing a growing al-Qaida threat.