The US State Department called on Monday the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen to “immediately cease their attacks on Yemeni ports” and to engage in peace efforts.

It added that US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking started travel on November 27 to Oman and Saudi Arabia to support ongoing peace efforts.

“The environment created by the UN-mediated truce presents the best opportunity Yemen has had for peace in several years,” continued the State Department in a statement.

“At this critical moment, we remind the Houthis that Yemenis are calling for peace, not a return to war,” it said.

“To that end, we call on the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks on Yemeni ports, which are disrupting the flow of much-needed resources and exacerbating suffering across Yemen. Such attacks only risk plunging Yemenis into another pointless cycle of violence and suffering,” it added.

“We urge the Houthis to instead seize this opportunity for peace, cooperate with the UN, and accept that the only path forward to ending eight years of destructive war is through a negotiated, inclusive Yemeni-led political settlement,” it stressed.