The Saudi-led coalition, fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, will lay down arms for two weeks in the night from Wednesday to Thursday. One of the reasons for doing that is the coronavirus.
Saudi insiders said to news agency on Wednesday evening Reuters that the truce initiated by the United Nations would enter local time at midnight.
The ceasefire would allow the Houthi movement to participate in UN-organized talks with the Yemeni government. The purpose of that consultation is to find a solution to the five-year conflict in the country and to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in Yemen.
The Saudis hope that the no-clatter period will give the UN Security Council an opportunity to convince the Houthis to stop the violence and to urge them to make a deal with the Yemeni government.
Yemen has been engaged in a war between the government and Houthi rebels since 2015. Saudi Arabia, together with the Yemeni government, is leading an international coalition against the Houthis.
It is not yet clear whether the Houthis will also adhere to the armistice.
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