Lebanese newspaper reports Saudi proposal for ceasefire talks with Ansarullah
Al-Akhbar says Riyadh offered a two-week truce and subsequent direct negotiations through Omani mediators, while the Yemeni movement is seeking a broader settlement.
Al-Akhbar reports that Saudi Arabia offered Ansarullah a two-week ceasefire and direct talks through Oman. The newspaper says Riyadh is prepared to discuss lifting the blockade and allowing aid into Yemen, while Ansarullah is demanding a broader settlement involving an end to the blockade, Saudi withdrawal and compensation for damage. The reported contacts and proposals have not been independently confirmed.
A report by Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper says Saudi Arabia has proposed a two-week ceasefire followed by direct negotiations with Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, amid regional efforts to contain an escalation in the conflict.
The report, citing informed sources, says the proposal was conveyed through an Omani mediator after contacts involving Saudi Arabia, the United States, Egypt, Pakistan and Oman. It reportedly includes discussions of humanitarian demands during the truce and an effort to reach a comprehensive agreement afterward.
According to Al-Akhbar, Saudi Arabia has expressed readiness to lift the blockade on Yemen and allow humanitarian aid to enter. The newspaper says Ansarullah has not welcomed the proposal, instead demanding a comprehensive resolution that would end the blockade in its air, land and sea forms, ensure a full Saudi military, security and political withdrawal from Yemen, and establish a fund to compensate for damage to Yemeni cities and infrastructure.
The report also says Ansarullah previously rejected a Saudi proposal supporting Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue, viewing the issue as an internal Yemeni matter and opposing outside involvement.
Al-Akhbar further attributes to Omani sources claims that contacts involving Ansarullah negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam addressed Red Sea shipping and the Bab al-Mandab strait. The sources reportedly said Sanaa had no intention of taking action that would endanger maritime traffic, while warning that Saudi commercial and oil vessels would not be allowed to operate along Yemen’s coast until Riyadh formally lifted the blockade and began implementing that decision.
The newspaper says several countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, as well as United Nations and British officials, have pursued diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions. It also reports that Ansarullah has warned that continued Saudi airstrikes could lead to a wider escalation and attacks on vital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
The claims were published by Al-Akhbar and cited by Iran’s IRNA. The report did not include an official public confirmation from Saudi Arabia or Ansarullah of the alleged proposal or negotiations.