RIYADH-SABA
Yemen's Foreign Minister said the Houthi militants are escalating military hostilities despite the UN calls for ceasefire in order to ready the warring parties for preventing a likely coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Mohammed al-Hadhrami told the Swedish foreign minister Anne Lindy in a phone conversation today the government welcomes the UN calls for an urgent meeting with the Houthi militants to cease fighting and work together against the common threat roiling different world countries now.

"The government's agreement to this (UN proposed) meeting comes out of he government's interest in sparing Yemen the epic catastrophe the plague will bring with it," he continued, "but the Houthi militia are not ready for peace." The militia "proved this by responding to the UN ceasefire calls with escalated rocket attacks against civilians in the Marib, Aljawf and Hodeidah province and in Saudi territories."