US special envoy meets senior Yemeni officials on trip to Saudi Arabia and Jordan

Tim Lenderking has said Yemen is at 'a critical moment' heading into the new year

Tim Lenderking met senior Yemeni and regional government officials as well as UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg. Ryan Christopher Jones / The National

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking travelled to Jordan and Saudi Arabia this week to advance UN-led peace efforts in the war-torn country, the State Department said.

Mr Lenderking met senior Yemeni and regional government officials as well as UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg on his Monday travel, a State Department representative told The National.

“We believe that 2023 brings new opportunities to end the conflict in Yemen,” the representative said.

Despite the failure to extend a UN-brokered ceasefire between the internationally recognised Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels, Mr Lenderking has voiced cautious optimism over peace efforts.

The truce, which began on April 2 and was extended twice, expired in early October, with the Iran-backed Houthis rejecting efforts by Mr Grundberg to extend it for a further six months.

At a December congressional hearing, Mr Lenderking said efforts to achieve lasting peace are in “a new phase”, and that “there's probably more engagement between the conflict parties now than there has been at any time”.

Houthi-made rock mines found in Yemen — in pictures

So-called rock mines made by the Houthis are being found in Yemen. All photos: Project Masam

The explosives are hidden in fake rocks, making them hard to spot.

'Rock mines' were first seen during Israel's war with Lebanon.

They blend in with the terrain in Yemen.

Many are equipped with infra-red beams that act as a trigger mechanism.

Although there has not been a resumption of all-out war, several Houthi attacks on infrastructure have raised concerns among Yemenis and international groups.

The Houthis have been striking oil ports in government-held areas in a bid to extract economic concessions in peace talks. Government officials say the attacks disrupt crude oil exports and choke off state revenue.

In November, the Houthis conducted drone attacks on Al Dhabba oil terminal in Yemen's Hadhramaut province, raising alarm and drawing a rebuke from the UN.

Mr Grundberg told the UN last month that the renewal of the truce remained “inconclusive” due to a lack of trust.

The UN envoy warned that the possibility of a “new conflict remains real”.

“We urge the parties to accelerate their engagement with the UN to secure an expanded truce agreement and move towards an inclusive Yemeni political process,” the State Department representative told The National.

US navy seizes deadly weapons on Iran-Yemen smuggling route — in pictures

A fishing vessel on a smuggling route between Iran and Yemen was found to be carrying 50 tonnes of bullets and rocket components. All photos: US Navy

Bags containing fuses and propellants for rockets are arranged on the flight deck of the USS Lewis B Puller, whose crew discovered the weapons on a smuggling vessel.

In this separate raid on another vessel on November 8, sailors from the destroyer USS The Sullivans sort the large quantity of urea fertiliser and ammonium perchlorate - used to make explosives.

The seizure made by personnel from the USS Lewis B Puller is the US Fifth Fleet's second major illegal weapons haul in a month.