The Sultanate of Oman said that it continues to work closely with Saudi Arabia, the United Nations and US envoys on Yemen and the Yemeni parties, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive political settlement of the crisis in Yemen.
The official Oman News Agency stated that Muscat hopes that these contacts will achieve the desired result in the near future, in order to restore security and stability to Yemen and preserve the security and interests of the countries of the region.
Private sources told Al-Jazeera that the US envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, had returned from Muscat to Riyadh to hold talks with Yemeni and Saudi officials.
The UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and the US envoy are holding talks with the Houthis in Muscat and the Yemeni government in Riyadh regarding the Saudi peace initiative, as part of a diplomatic movement to reach a ceasefire agreement that paves the way for a political settlement in Yemen.
The two envoys had met - days ago - with Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and sources told Al-Jazeera that Hadi had reservations about the Houthis ’adherence to the unconditional opening of Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeidah.
Earlier, Al-Jazeera sources revealed that the Houthis adhered to the ongoing talks to open Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeidah as a condition for engaging in ceasefire arrangements as part of a possible political settlement that would end the war.
For his part, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said that there is no place for fair solutions regarding the humanitarian situation.
Abdul Salam added in a tweet on Twitter that the Houthis confirm their firm position not to subject the humanitarian situation to any quid pro quo.
He explained that the unwillingness to separate the humanitarian file from other files indicates the lack of seriousness in reaching a comprehensive and just solution.
One missile and two vehicles
On the ground, sources told Al-Jazeera that a civilian was killed and 4 others were wounded by a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis on a residential neighborhood north of Marib.
Violent clashes continue between the Yemeni army and the Houthis at the Kasara front, northwest of the city of Marib, which the Houthis have been trying to reach for weeks.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-Emirati coalition announced that it had intercepted and destroyed two bomb marches launched by the Houthis towards the Kingdom, without giving further details.