Britain has appointed a senior Saudi-based diplomat as its new ambassador to Yemen.

Richard Oppenheim, the current deputy head of the UK’s Riyadh mission, will take over from Michael Aron in July, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday.

Aron has held the position since February 2018 — a period in which Yemen continued to struggle through a devastating conflict.

Oppenheim’s appointment comes at a crucial time for Yemen as the UN continues to push for a resolution to the war between the internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

Yemen’s new unity government was sworn in at the end of December before President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Riyadh.