DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – A Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis began observing Wednesday a unilateral cease-fire in the yearslong war, despite the rebels’ rejection of the proposal.
The Saudi-proposed pause in fighting ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began at 6 a.m., following an announcement late Tuesday. In the past, several similar truce efforts have failed, and there was no immediate independent confirmation on whether the hostilities had in fact paused between Saudi-led forces and the Houthi rebels.
The Houthis are skipping an ongoing summit over the war called by the Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council because it’s taking place in Saudi Arabia, their adversary’s territory.
Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukaiti rejected the cease-fire offer, citing the Saudi-led coalition’s continued closure of the airport in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and its restrictions on the country’s ports.
“If the blockade is not lifted, the declaration of the coalition of aggression to stop its military operations will be meaningless because the suffering of Yemenis as a result of the blockade is more severe than the war itself,” al-Bukaiti wrote on Twitter early Wednesday.