Yemen’s Houthi rebels call truce after wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Iran-backed rebels’ surprise move came exactly seven years after a Saudi-led coalition first intervened in Yemen to support the government

Houthi political leader Mahdi al-Mashat also dangled the prospect of a ‘permanent’ ceasefire if ‘Saudi Arabia commits to ending the siege and stopping raids’

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Yemenis assess the damage following overnight air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa on Saturday. Photo: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Published: 9:59am, 27 Mar 2022Updated: 3:51pm, 27 Mar 2022

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have announced a three-day truce with the Saudi-led coalition and dangled the prospect of a “permanent” ceasefire on the seventh anniversary of a brutal conflict that has left millions on the brink of famine.

A day after a wave of Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi targets, including an oil plant that turned into an inferno near the Formula One race in Jeddah, political leader Mahdi al-Mashat on Saturday put rebel operations on hold.

As thousands of people marched in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, to mark the anniversary, Mashat appeared on television to announce the “suspension of missile and drone strikes and all military actions for a period of three days”.

Yemenis loyal to Houthi rebels take part in a rally in Sanaa marking the seventh anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in their country on Saturday. Photo: AFP

“And we are ready to turn this declaration into a final and permanent commitment in the event that Saudi Arabia commits to ending the siege and stopping its raids on Yemen once and for all,” he said.

The Saudi-led coalition carried out air strikes on Sanaa early on Sunday, according to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ekhbariya TV, shortly after the Houthis announced the three-day truce. It had retaliated for Friday’s attacks by launching air strikes against the Iran-backed rebels in Sanaa and Hodeida, and destroying four explosives-laden boats.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the rebel strikes and reprisals by the Saudi-led coalition, calling on “all parties to exercise maximum restraint” and “urgently reach a negotiated settlement to end the conflict”.

Israel, which does not have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, expressed its “sorrow” over the Houthi attack.