Saudis call a two-week truce in Yemen war

Saudi Arabia Thursday unilaterally declared a two-week ceasefire in the coalition’s war on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi insurgents, in support of efforts to ward off the spread of the coronavirus in the famine-struck country. UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomed the move but one Houthi official called it a ploy. A senior Houthi official said the group had sent the United Nations a proposal calling for an end to the war and what it describes as a coalition blockade. The coalition, which patrols the coast, denies imposing a blockade and says it aims to halt import of weapons. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been holding direct back-channel talks since late last year.