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Saudi-led Coalition Announces Cease-fire in Yemen War

Reuters

   DUBAI/RIYADH - The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned
   Houthis said Wednesday that it was halting military operations
   nationwide in support of U.N. efforts to end a five-year war that has
   killed over 100,000 people and spread hunger and disease.

   The move aims to facilitate talks sponsored by U.N. special envoy
   Martin Griffiths for a permanent cease-fire. It also was pursued in
   part to avoid a potential outbreak of the new coronavirus, though no
   cases have been reported so far, military coalition spokesman Colonel
   Turki al-Malki said.

   The cease-fire will go into effect at midday Thursday for two weeks and
   is open to extension, he said in a statement.

   The announcement was the first major breakthrough since the United
   Nations convened the warring parties in late 2018 and they signed a
   cease-fire for the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

   But it was unclear if the armed Houthi movement would follow suit.
   Spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said they had sent the United Nations a
   comprehensive vision that included an end to the war and to "the
   blockade" imposed on Yemen.

   "[Our proposal] will lay the foundations for a political dialogue and a
   transitional period," he tweeted Wednesday.

   Strikes reported

   Hours after the coalition announcement, Yemen's information minister
   said the Houthis had targeted Hodeida and the central city of Marib
   with missiles, while Houthi media said coalition strikes hit Hajja and
   Saada provinces.

   Last week, U.N. envoy Griffiths sent a proposal to the internationally
   recognized government, the Saudi-led coalition that supports it, and
   the Houthis -- who control the capital, Sanaa, and most of northern
   Yemen.

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