More work needed for Yemen ceasefire, Houthis must halt Saudi Arabia attacks: US

More work needed for Yemen ceasefire, Houthis must halt Saudi Arabia attacks: US
March 12, 2021, 11:03 am

US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking, Feb. 16, 2021. (Screengrab)

The US Thursday announced “some hopeful progress” toward reaching a ceasefire in Yemen but said more work was needed and called on the Iran-backed Houthis to halt their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking returned to Washington after making his second trip to the region since being tapped for the role by President Joe Biden.

During his trip, which lasted for almost three weeks, Lenderking met with officials from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and other regional countries.

“Special Envoy Lenderking devoted extra time in Riyadh and Muscat in an effort to push the parties closer to a ceasefire,” the State Department said.

The statement made no mention of Lenderking’s meetings with Houthi officials.

Lenderking is working in tandem with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to ultimately end the yearslong war in Yemen.

Despite “some hopeful progress,” the State Department said that more commitment was needed from all sides.

The State Department also condemned the daily Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. “To that end, the Houthis should end their offensive on Marib and their continued cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia,” the statement read.

Since the Biden administration lifted the terrorist designation off the Houthis, its leader and two other senior officials, the group has upped its offensive on Marib, one of the government’s last strongholds in the northern part of Yemen.