SAUDIS ANNOUNCE YEMEN CEASE-FIRE AMID PANDEMIC

Saudi officials said the coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen will begin a cease-fire today.

The officials told journalists Wednesday night the decision was in response to U.N. calls to halt hostilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

They said the cease-fire will be for two weeks, during which the coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government will support U.N. efforts to bring the rival parties to the table for peace talks.

“We remain committed to the cease-fire and we will see what is the response by the Houthis,” one of the Saudi officials said. “We hope with effort of the U.N. and members of the Security Council (this will) put pressure on the Houthis to stop the hostilities and to be serious in engagement with the Yemeni government.”

There was no immediate response from the Houthis.

The Saudi officials spoke on condition of anonymity to address details of the ceasefire.

U.N. Secretary-general Antonio Guterres said earlier this month that warring parties in 11 countries had responded positively to his appeal for a global cease-fire amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came as heavy fighting in Yemen between pro-government forces and the Houthis killed more than 270 people in the past 10 days, according to government officials and tribal leaders.

Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation, has been convulsed by civil war since 2014. That’s when the Houthis took control of the country’s north, including the capital Sanaa. A Saudiled military coalition intervened against the Houthis the following year.