Senior American diplomats are holding talks in the Gulf region in a new effort to reach a ceasefire in Yemen as ground battles widen and the Iran-aligned Houthis resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia following a brief calm during the Eid al-Adha holiday. Tim Lenderking, the U.S. special envoy for Yemen, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after a visit by Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, to Oman amid stalled negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that has lasted for more than six years.
The Saudi-led coalition, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and the Houthis differ over a UN-backed proposal for a nationwide ceasefire and the lifting of the coalition's blockade to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation. Intense fighting is taking place in the gas-rich Marib region, which is the last stronghold of the Yemeni government in the north, and in Al-Bayda province.
The coalition announced on Tuesday evening that it had destroyed four ballistic missiles and two drones launched by the Houthis towards Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia. Local and military sources stated that fighting has spread to Al-Bayda as Houthi forces attempt to advance towards the southern oil-producing Shabwa region. So far, coalition airstrikes have repelled Houthi attempts.
The U.S. State Department indicated that Lenderking will discuss the "escalating consequences" of the Marib offensive, which has led to unrest spreading to other areas, and the "urgent need" for Riyadh and the Saudi-backed government to facilitate fuel imports into northern Yemen. The Houthis insist on lifting maritime and aerial restrictions imposed on areas they control before entering any ceasefire negotiations, while the coalition desires a simultaneous agreement with the lifting of these restrictions.
The Houthi movement controls most of the urban centers after ousting the government from the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting the coalition's intervention months later in what many see as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Tens of thousands have died in the conflict, and Yemen stands on the brink of famine.
