“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the recent escalation of the conflict in Yemen,” UN envoy Stefan Duzarik said in a statement on Saturday. The wave of guerrilla attacks included an attack on an oil refinery that sparked a huge fire near the Jeddah Formula One track during a televised training session on Friday. In response, the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on the capital Sanaa and the port of Hodeidah – the main entry point for humanitarian aid – early Saturday. The strikes in Sanaa reportedly killed eight civilians, the UN statement said. The exchange of fire comes in the wake of the seventh anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention in support of the Iranian-backed Yemeni government after occupying Sanaa in 2014. Earlier on Saturday, Houthi rebels announced a three-day ceasefire with the Saudi-led coalition and described the prospect of a “permanent” ceasefire. Houthi political leader Mahdi al-Masat appeared on television to announce the “suspension of rocket and unmanned aerial vehicles and all military operations for a period of three days.” “And we are ready to turn this statement into a final and permanent commitment in the event that Saudi Arabia pledges to end the siege and stop its invasions of Yemen once and for all,” he said. There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia. Duzarik said the UN leader had reiterated “his call on all parties to show maximum restraint” and “urgently reach a negotiated settlement to end the conflict.” The statement also condemned the coalition’s blows, which destroyed boats loaded with explosives in Yemen, causing damage to a UN staff housing complex in Sanaa. Thousands marched in the Yemeni capital on Saturday to protest the conflict, which has killed hundreds of thousands, directly or indirectly, according to the United Nations and left millions on the brink of starvation. Masat said the Houthis were ready to “release all coalition detainees, including his brother (President Abdrabbuh Mansur) Hadi, held by militia and other nationalities in exchange for the full release of all our detainees.” “The regime in Saudi Arabia must prove its seriousness by responding to a ceasefire, lifting the siege and expelling foreign forces from our country. “And then peace will come and then it will be time to talk about political solutions in a calm atmosphere away from any military or humanitarian pressure.” Israel, which has no diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, has expressed “regret” over the Houthi attack. “This attack is further evidence that Iran’s regional aggression knows no bounds,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wrote in a rare public message to the kingdom on Twitter. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the rebel attack and expressed “solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.
