Yemeni Houthis, US Officials Hold Peace Talks in Oman - Source

Representatives of Houthis movement hold negotiations with US officials in neighboring Oman.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — The Shiite movement Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, holds negotiations with US officials in neighboring Oman, a source close to the rebels’ leadership told Sputnik.

According to the source, the main topic of the talks is stopping the Saudi-led international coalition’s airstrikes on positions of Ansar Allah, as well as the cessation of hostilities in Yemen between the warring parties.

Another issue on the agenda is the prospects of holding intra-Yemeni peace negotiations in a neutral country.

The source described the negotiating process as "successful."

The government of President-in-exile Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi said it was aware of the negotiations.

Violence has engulfed Yemen over the last several months as the country's largest opposition group, the Houthis, are fighting the forces supporting Hadi.

On March 26, upon Hadi's request, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition began airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.

According to the most recent estimates by the World Health Organization, almost 2,000 people have been killed and more than 8,000 injured in Yemen since the conflict escalated in March.