SANAA - Yemeni officials say an informal agreement to reduce hostilities between Saudi-led coalition forces and rebels in and around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida has taken hold.

They said Tuesday that hostilities have ceased for the past 24 hours, with both sides respecting the truce. The truce followed advances by the coalition in their latest attempt to retake the city from the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis.





The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.



The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, welcomed the reduction of hostilities and said it was a "crucial step" to prevent further humanitarian suffering.



The coalition has been battling the rebels since March 2015 in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people.