Saudis end air campaign in Yemen, seek political solution
Saudi Arabia announced on April 21 it was ending a month-long campaign of air strikes against the Houthi rebels who seized large areas of Yemen and said it would back a political solution to bring peace to its war-ravaged neighbor.
Iran, which has supported the fellow Shi'ite Houthis, welcomed the ceasefire, which followed months of factional fighting between the militant group and forces loyal to the government, which was driven out of the capital Sanaa.
"Operation Decisive Storm has achieved its goals ...(including) removing the threat to Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries, especially in terms of heavy weapons," said a statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA.
Saudi spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said the alliance may still target Houthis. "The coalition will continue to prevent the Houthi militias from moving or undertaking any operations inside Yemen," he told reporters in Riyadh.
The World Health Organization said on April 21 that 944 people were reported killed and 3,487 wounded in Yemen in the four weeks up to April 17.