Instead, the announcement of a new plan was greeted by rocket attacks from Al Houthi forces that struck well over the border, hitting a power station in Saudi Arabia.
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Fighting escalated in March 2015 with the start of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their allies who are loyal to Yemen’s ousted president.
John Kerry said there is a “new plan” aimed at ending conflict in Yemen, which will see participation of the Houthi militia group in a unity government. In return, the USA secretary of state said Houthis and allies can have a share in Yemen’s future unity government.
Kerry lashed out at Iran, saying its arms shipments to the Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen posed a threat to the United States.
The coalition says it seeks to restore the internationally-recognized government in Sanaa, after Houthis captured it in 2014 and forced the government to flee overseas.
“I have to say that, to date, the worldwide response to this crisis has fallen short of filling the gap between the supplies that are available and those that are required”, Kerry said before announcing almost $189 million in additional humanitarian assistance.
Major Ali al-Shahrani, civil defence spokesperson in southwest Saudi Arabia, told reporters a nine-year-old brother of the boy was also wounded when a Katyusha rocket his their family’s home.
As the civilian death toll in Yemen climbs following the suspension of United Nations -brokered peace talks, the kingdom has faced rising criticism from human rights groups.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than three million Yemenis have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in the Arab country.
The United Nations on Thursday called for the creation of an independent global body to investigate an array of serious violations in Yemen.
But despite all this diplomacy created to give Al Houthis some encouragement to join the peace talks, they chose to shell a target in Saudi Arabia, which is a deliberately provocative act.
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“We agreed on a renewed approach to negotiations with both a security and political track simultaneously working in order to provide a comprehensive settlement”, Kerry said while standing beside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
