File image.
On March 26, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) said that they will suspend missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia and ground offensive operations in Yemen, including in the central province of Ma’rib, for three days as a part of a peace initiative.
Mahdi al-Mashat, President of the Houthi Supreme Political Council of Yemen, announced the initiative in a speech broadcast on television.
The senior Houthi official said that the initiative could become a lasting commitment if the Saudi-led coalition halted its airstrikes on Yemen and ended its siege on the country’s ports and airports.
“This is a sincere invitation and practical steps to rebuild trust and take all the sides from the arena of talks to the arena of acts,” Mashat said.
Al-Mashat also revealed that the Houthis are ready to release all prisoners of war, including the brother of Yemen’s president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The Houthis’ initiative came following a series of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the western city of al-Hudaydah. The airstrikes claimed the lives of eight civilians and wounded four others.
The coalition’s deadly airstrikes were a response to the March 25 Houthi missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia which damaged several vital facilities in the Kingdom.
Earlier this month, the Gulf Cooperation Council invited the Houthis to peace talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The group welcomed the initiative. However, it said that the talks should be held in a neutral country. Furthermore, the group called on the Saudi-led coalition lift its siege off al-Hudaydah port and Sanaa International Airport before any talks.
The Saudi-led coalition is yet to comment on the Houthis’ peace initiative. Several airstrikes hit Sanaa after al-Mashat’s speech. This could be a sign that the coalition is not that interested in the Houthis offer.
