Military Operations in Yemen to Stop Once Yemeni Gov't Requests

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Saudi-led coalition has not received any request from the Yemeni government to halt military operations in Yemen, and once such a request is made, then the coalition will comply with it, Ahmad Asiri, a spokesman for the coalition, told Sputnik on Thursday.

"No request of a ceasefire came forward from the legitimate Yemeni government and once such a request is made, we will commit to it, the Yemeni government is the only party that can decide this matter and we support the legitimate government in cooperation with the international community," Asiri said.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the conflicting sides in Yemen had agreed on stopping all military operations on November 17 and that they would work on forming a government of national unity before the end of this year, however internationally recognized Yemeni government led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi said that it is not "interested" in the Kerry deal.

Since 2014, the Middle Eastern nation has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by country's President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Shiite Houthi rebels, the main opposition force of Yemen, who have been supported by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since March 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions at Hadi's request.

The ongoing violence in Yemen has already resulted in a large-scale humanitarian crisis. According to UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick, over 13 million Yemenis are in need of immediate assistance in the country.