The Saudi-led coalition will pause military operations in Yemen as the UN calls for a cease-fire.

Following a UN appeal for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen said late Tuesday that military operations would cease on Wednesday.

The UN has been collaborating with the Saudi-led military alliance and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement to reach a peace accord and alleviate a terrible humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, which has been at war since 2015.

The cease-fire is the most important step forward in peace negotiations in more than three years, as the international community has sought to end the seven-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands and left millions starving.

"The coalition's joint forces command declares a suspension of military operations within Yemen beginning Wednesday at 6 a.m.," according to a statement from coalition spokesperson Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, cited by Saudi state news agency SPA.

According to Houthi leader Mohammed al-Bukaiti, "The imposed siege on Yemen is a military action because it is carried out with the use of force. The coalition's announcement that it is ceasing military operations will be useless unless the siege is lifted."

He went on to say, "This implies our military operations to breach the siege will continue."
According to SPA, the decision was made in the context of international efforts to resolve the Yemeni conflict and seek a comprehensive political settlement.

According to individuals familiar with the situation, the UN proposal calls for a short ceasefire during Ramadan in exchange for allowing fuel ships to dock at Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port and a small number of commercial flights to operate from Sanaa airport. This weekend is the start of Ramadan.
According to UN statistics, four petroleum ships were waiting off the coast of Hodeidah on March 27, including a tanker that had been held in the coalition holding area for nearly three months.

Sanaa airport has been closed since the coalition intervened in 2015 after the Houthis deposed Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government in 2014.
Yemen's oceans and airspace are under the control of the coalition.

According to the two sources, the United States and other Western nations support the plan developed by the UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg.
Ismini Palla, a spokesperson for Grundberg, declined to comment on the proposal's specifics but said the ceasefire would give Yemenis a much-needed break from bloodshed.
"The Envoy continues his conversations with all parties and urges all to engage constructively to negotiate a truce as soon as possible," she said in a statement.

Exchange of detainees
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia welcomed allied Yemeni warring factions, but the Houthis declared they would not participate until the negotiations were held in a neutral nation.
The Houthis praised the UN proposal in a statement released last week.
The consultations in Riyadh are being held under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is based in Riyadh, and are anticipated to last more than a week.
Since last year, the UN and the US have been attempting to negotiate a durable cease-fire, but disagreements over sequencing have stymied efforts to establish an agreement between the warring parties.
The Houthis want the Saudi-led coalition to relax restrictions on seaports and Sanaa International Airport first, while the Saudi alliance wants a deal done simultaneously.

On Saturday, the Houthis announced a three-day suspension of cross-border strikes and ground offensive operations in Yemen.
The organization has increased missile and drone raids against Saudi oil infrastructure in recent months, including a massive fire at fuel storage tanks on Friday. The coalition responded with airstrikes on Hodeidah and Sanaa on Sunday, killing eight civilians, including five women and two children.
Both parties are also contemplating a prisoner swap that might result in the release of hundreds of inmates, including 16 Saudis and Yemen's president's brother.