Lebanon-based pro-Hezbollah outlet cites senior source

Houthi fighters stand next to a captured vehicle in a still image taken from footage released by a Houthi-affiliated military media outlet on Tuesday (local time). [Reuters]
Houthi fighters stand next to a captured vehicle in a still image taken from footage released by a Houthi-affiliated military media outlet on Tuesday (local time). [Reuters]

Saudi Arabia has proposed a two-week truce to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah outlet Al Mayadeen reported Thursday (local time).

A senior source familiar with the matter said Saudi Arabia conveyed the proposal through the Omani government to discuss ways to address humanitarian issues in Yemen. "Saudi Arabia confirmed that an agreement on humanitarian matters would be officially announced within the proposed truce period," the source said.

In this regard, Abdullah Al-Farra, Al Mayadeen's Yemen bureau chief, said the move showed that Saudi Arabia had ultimately pivoted to the truce option after failing to build a coalition against Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital.

The report comes amid an intensifying armed conflict, as the Houthis have seized key positions near the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, threatening oil export routes and clashing with Saudi forces and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government military.

The Houthis have been pressing Yemeni government forces across multiple provinces while also stepping up attacks targeting major cities inside Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, the Houthis had declared a hardline stance against the Saudi-led coalition's years-long military intervention and blockade of Yemen, vowing to respond to the blockade with a blockade and to any escalation with further escalation.


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