Yemen's government

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen announced on April 8 that its forces would begin a cease-fire starting on April 9, a step that could pave the way for the first direct peace talks between the two sides that have been at war for more than five years.

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthi rebels says it has intercepted a ballistic missile near Riyadh, Saudi state media report./BBC

Witnesses in the Saudi capital posted pictures on social media showing a cloud of smoke in the air, and there were no reports of any damage.

Yemen's government forces battled al Qaeda in the country's south on April 23, aiming to push back advances the militant group has made during a year-long civil war while peace talks take place in Kuwait. 

Peace talks in Kuwait aimed at ending over a year of civil war and a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen will not begin on April 18 as planned, officials from the warring sides said, amid objections over continued fighting despite an announced ceasefire. 

The United Nations on Sept. 10 said peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen are set to resume next week in the region and urged all parties to participate "in good faith." 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said 45 of its soldiers fighting rebels in Yemen were killed in an arms depot blast on Sept. 4, while five border guards from Bahrain died in the deadliest day yet for the Saudi-led coalition.
  

Militiamen clashed with Yemen's dominant Houthi group inside the city of Ibb on Aug. 11, residents said, in their latest significant advance into territory the Houthis had held unopposed for months. 

Shelling by Yemen's Houthi militia killed four soldiers from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stationed on Yemen's border with the kingdom, Saudi state media reported on June 25.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi border posts in recent weeks, despite three months of bombardment by a Saudi-led coalition intent on restoring Yemen's government in exile. 

The Yemeni commander of a vast military district covering half the country's border with Saudi Arabia pledged support to Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on April 19, local officials said. 

Saudi Arabia has suspended operations at its embassy in Yemen and evacuated its staff because of the worsening situation in the capital Sanaa, controlled by a Shiite militia, the foreign ministry said Feb. 13.