Intel: Why cease-fire deal won’t stop Yemen’s suffering

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen reportedly brokered an informal deal to cease hostilities around Hodeidah on Tuesday. The deal has held for the past 24 hours after 150 people died in daylong clashes in the port city, which handles 70% of aid entering the war-torn country.

Why it matters: After Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced that the United States would stop refueling Saudi and Emirati warplanes in Yemen, the deal leaves open a tiny window for UN-led peace talks in Yemen.

It’s unclear whether the Donald Trump administration, which made a full-court press for the cease-fire late last month, will make a further push for a broader peace deal, but the news could change the UN’s timetable as the world body had postponed talks until December. The deal comes just one day after UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called on Saudi Arabia to end the Yemen conflict, suggesting that international pressure could help lead to a settlement.

UN reaction: The UN’s envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, welcomed the cease-fire announcement, which he said opened a fresh path for peace talks. “The logistical preparations are under way to prepare for the upcoming round of consultations,” the veteran British diplomat said in a statement. “We are in a position to move forward.”