Saudi-offered, rebel-rejected cease-fire starts in Yemen war

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis has begun observing a unilateral cease-fire in the yearslong war, even as the rebels said they rejected the proposal. The Saudi-proposed pause in fighting began at 6 a.m. on Wednesday ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. In the past, several similar truce efforts have failed, and there was no immediate independent confirmation on whether the hostilities had in fact paused between Saudi-led forces and the Houthi rebels. The Houthis are skipping an ongoing summit over the war called by the Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council because it’s taking place in Saudi Arabia, their adversary’s territory.