(CNN) Just when you thought the complicated, tangled web of who's fighting who in the Middle East couldn't get more complicated, the rules have changed. Again.

The latest twist comes in Yemen, where this week a USS warship launched Tomahawk cruise missiles into Yemen

According to a Pentagon spokesperson, the missiles targeted radar sites in Houthi-held territory, sites the US claims were being used to launch missiles toward a different American warship (the USS Mason) in two separate incidents earlier this week . Neither incident caused any damage, according to the Pentagon, as the missiles fell into the water.

Independent verification is hard to come by in the Yemeni war. It's unclear who, if anyone, fired the missiles from Yemeni soil. The Houthis strongly reject the accusations, saying that they didn't fire any missiles at US warships. They claim the entire episode is meant as a distraction, to draw attention away from the horrible toll the war is taking on innocent civilians.

According to the UN, an average of 13 Yemeni civilians are killed every day by Saudi-led airstrikes. In the most recent example, a double-tap airstrike killed more than 150 people and injured hundreds more who had gathered at a funeral service.

The lack of independent, verifiable information notwithstanding, the US airstrikes still are a significant development. It marks the first time the US has directly targeted and attacked sites inside Yemeni territory using its own missiles from its own warships.

It effectively makes the United States an active combatant in the war.

The US had until now limited its role to providing intelligence, coordination and logistics to the Saudi-backed bombing campaign, plus providing airborne fueling tankers to enable Saudi jets to refuel in mid-air. Since the war began, the United States also has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia more than $22 billion worth of weapons, some specifically earmarked to replace those that have already been dropped on Yemen.

Until now, Yemen has effectively been the Middle East's second biggest proxy war (with Syria being the first), pitting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries against Yemen's Houthi minority and its Iranian backers.

Now that the US is directly involved, it raises some difficult questions:

Does this mark a turning point, with the US prepared to take on a more active, long-term combat role?

How will it affect its relationship with the Saudis, after the State Department recently implied it would cut off funding if the Saudis didn't take stronger measures to avoid civilian deaths?

What happens if Iranian ships are targeted in international waters, and they choose to retaliate in the same fashion?

If the US pretext for launching missiles strikes into Yemen was on the grounds that it was an act of self-defense, could that provide a justification for Iran to do the same?

All of these are troubling prospects.</s>UNITED NATIONS -- The warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire that is to take effect shortly before midnight Wednesday, the U.N. special envoy to Yemen announced Monday.

A U.N. statement said Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the special envoy, "welcomes the restoration of the Cessation of Hostilities, which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance."

Ahmed said he had received assurances from all Yemeni parties to cease hostilities at 11:59 p.m. Yemen time Wednesday "for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal."

He said the warring factions had agreed to follow the terms and conditions of a temporary April cease-fire agreement. He expressed hope that the cease-fire would lead "to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict."

Ahmed said the agreement obliges all parties "to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel" to all parts of Yemen.

More than 4,000 civilians have been killed and 3 million of the country's 26 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting. Hunger has become widespread in the Arab world's poorest country.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies began a campaign of airstrikes against the rebels. The Saudi-led coalition and the United States back the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.</s>An investigation found that "incorrect information" had passed between the air operations center in Yemen and coalition command, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

"Because of non-compliance with Coalition rules of engagement (ROEs) and procedures, and the issuing of incorrect information a Coalition aircraft wrongly targeted the location, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries," said a statement published by the news agency.

The coalition said it will follow the recommendations of investigators, including a review of the rules of engagement and compensation for the families of the victims.

The admission comes after US condemnation of the attack and diplomats saying they're reviewing their backing of Saudi Arabia's operations in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition is fighting to prevent Houthi rebels allied with Iran and forces loyal to Yemen's deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking power. Human Rights Watch had called on the United States to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia and pushed for an investigation into possible war crimes after the airstrike. In both attacks, missiles missed the ship and landed in the water, officials said. Attempted missile attacks on the USS Mason on Sunday and Wednesday in Yemen from areas held by Houthi rebels were widely viewed as payback for the funeral attack.In both attacks, missiles missed the ship and landed in the water, officials said. The Houthis, a minority Shia group backed by Iran that has taken over the capital, Sanaa, and other areas of Yemen, denied carrying out the missile attacks. US strikes Yemen after missiles launched on warship US strikes Yemen after missiles launched on warship By Thursday, the destroyer USS Nitze had moved in and hit radar sites along the Red Sea with Tomahawk cruise missiles. "These limited and proportionate strikes were conducted to protect the personnel and our ships and will preserve our freedom of navigation in this important maritime passageway," President Barack Obama wrote in a letter Friday to the Senate. "The United States stands ready to take action in self-defense, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats." The Saudi-led coalition, involving several Arab countries, started its military operation in March 2015 after Houthis drove out the US-backed government led by President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is believed to be in exile in Saudi Arabia. Other factions are also battling within Yemen's borders, including small cells of ISIS fighters, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, separatist groups and tribal factions. The United Nations has called the conflict a "humanitarian catastrophe" that has killed about 10,000 people in Yemen and left millions in need of aid. UNICEF said some 1.5 million children in Yemen are malnourished due to the ongoing civil war.</s>Britain and the US have called for a ceasefire in Yemen “within hours” as they tried to seize on outrage caused by the killing of 140 people in a Saudi airstrike.



Fighting between Iranian-backed Houthis and the Yemeni government, which is supported by Gulf states, has lasted more than 18 months, far longer than the Gulf states expected.



The US secretary of state, John Kerry, said if Yemen’s opposing sides accepted and moved forward on a ceasefire then the UN special envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

“This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table,” Kerry said after a brief meeting with the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London. “We cannot emphasise enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen.”

Kerry said he, Johnson and Cheikh Ahmed were calling for the implementation of a ceasefire “as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday”. Kerry and Johnson also met the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir.

On 8 October a Saudi air raid on a funeral killed 140 people and wounded 525 others, drawing severe criticism of the Arab coalition.

Cheikh Ahmed said the attack took place “amid significant progress in the long peace negotiations, and at a time when we were negotiating a durable accord”.

At the weekend Saudi Arabia admitted responsibility for the funeral attack and blamed incorrect intelligence and improper procedures. It said it was taking disciplinary measures, awarding compensation to families of the victims and easing the air blockade that it enforces to allow the evacuation of the most seriously wounded for treatment abroad.

Britain’s Foreign Office said on Saturday it would take into account the Saudi investigation into the attack when deciding its policy on allowing arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Britain knows it could be accused of hypocrisy if it condemns Russian backing for indiscriminate Syrian bombing but does not do the same in response to Saudi outrages.

Washington has accused Houthi rebels of firing missiles at US warships in the Red Sea on 9 and 12 October. The missiles fell short of their targets. On Saturday the US Navy said it was investigating another possible missile attack on a group of American warships.

The US military responded to the earlier attacks by hitting radar sites in territory controlled by the insurgents, defence officials in Washington said, in the first direct American action against the rebels.

An Omani aircraft evacuated those wounded in the funeral strike from the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on Saturday. The flight also carried two American citizens who had been held in Yemen and were released after mediation by Oman. A spokesman for the US State Department, Mark Toner, noted the “humanitarian gesture by the Houthis”.

The Omani aircraft also flew home to Sana’a rebel negotiators who, because of the air blockade, had been stranded in Muscat since the collapse of UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait in August.</s>John Kerry meets Boris Johnson and Saudi foreign minister in London and stresses urgency of ending violence in Yemen

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Britain and the US have called for a ceasefire in Yemen “within hours” as they tried to seize on outrage caused by the killing of 140 people in a Saudi airstrike.



Fighting between Iranian-backed Houthis and the Yemeni government, which is supported by Gulf states, has lasted more than 18 months, far longer than the Gulf states expected.



The US secretary of state, John Kerry, said if Yemen’s opposing sides accepted and moved forward on a ceasefire then the UN special envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

Why Yemen conflict has become another Syria Read more

“This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table,” Kerry said after a brief meeting with the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London. “We cannot emphasise enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen.”

Kerry said he, Johnson and Cheikh Ahmed were calling for the implementation of a ceasefire “as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday”. Kerry and Johnson also met the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir.

On 8 October a Saudi air raid on a funeral killed 140 people and wounded 525 others, drawing severe criticism of the Arab coalition.

Cheikh Ahmed said the attack took place “amid significant progress in the long peace negotiations, and at a time when we were negotiating a durable accord”.

At the weekend Saudi Arabia admitted responsibility for the funeral attack and blamed incorrect intelligence and improper procedures. It said it was taking disciplinary measures, awarding compensation to families of the victims and easing the air blockade that it enforces to allow the evacuation of the most seriously wounded for treatment abroad.

Britain’s Foreign Office said on Saturday it would take into account the Saudi investigation into the attack when deciding its policy on allowing arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Britain knows it could be accused of hypocrisy if it condemns Russian backing for indiscriminate Syrian bombing but does not do the same in response to Saudi outrages.

Washington has accused Houthi rebels of firing missiles at US warships in the Red Sea on 9 and 12 October. The missiles fell short of their targets. On Saturday the US Navy said it was investigating another possible missile attack on a group of American warships.

The US military responded to the earlier attacks by hitting radar sites in territory controlled by the insurgents, defence officials in Washington said, in the first direct American action against the rebels.

An Omani aircraft evacuated those wounded in the funeral strike from the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on Saturday. The flight also carried two American citizens who had been held in Yemen and were released after mediation by Oman. A spokesman for the US State Department, Mark Toner, noted the “humanitarian gesture by the Houthis”.

The Omani aircraft also flew home to Sana’a rebel negotiators who, because of the air blockade, had been stranded in Muscat since the collapse of UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait in August.</s>A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations' estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen's opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

"This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters.

"We cannot emphasize enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen," he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire "as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday".

The UN's special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi's lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for "clearer plans" for a ceasefire in the coming days

Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was "causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we're seeing there are unacceptable".

"There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire."

Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials.

Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks.

"It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody," Kerry said.

He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemen's Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were "an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern".</s>The Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under severe criticism since last Saturday's air strike on the funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, killing 140 people according to one U.N. estimate, and 82 according to the Houthis.

Mourners who died in the attack included some of Yemen's top political and security officials, potentially galvanizing powerful tribes to join the Houthis in opposing a Saudi-backed exiled government.

"A party affiliated to the Yemeni Presidency of the General Chief of Staff wrongly passed information that there was a gathering of armed Houthi leaders in a known location in Sanaa, and insisted that the location be targeted immediately," the investigators concluded, according to a statement.

The Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) said in the statement that the coalition's Air Operations Centre in Yemen also failed to obtain approval for the strike from commanders, a violation of protocol.

The JIAT called for a review of the rules of engagement and for compensation for the families of the victims. It also said "appropriate action" should be taken against those who caused the incident, without elaborating.

A spokesman for the JIAT said the actions could include judicial proceedings.

"Naturally, these people must be confronted about what led to this mistake. They have the right to defend themselves, but if it becomes clear that legal measures should be taken, the coalition forces are concerned with that," said Mansour Ahmed al-Mansour, a legal adviser to the JIAT.

The coalition accepted the findings in a statement released hours later and said it had begun to implement the JIAT's recommendations.

"The coalition command expresses its regret at this unintentional incident and the ensuing pain for victims’ families," it said.

"The incident is not in line with the coalition's objectives, namely protecting civilians and restoring safety and stability to Yemen."

International condemnation of the strike had been swift. The White House announced an immediate review of Washington's support for the 18-month-old military push against the Houthis.

Senior U.S. officials also said the attack had killed senior figures who were important to the reconciliation process.

The strike has threatened to escalate Yemen's civil war and pull the United States further into the conflict.

Houthi-led forces had responded to the attack by launching missiles into Saudi Arabia and possibly at a U.S. warship stationed off the Yemeni coast, prompting U.S. retaliatory strikes against what Washington said were Houthi radar sites.

The Houthis have denied firing missiles at the U.S. Navy destroyer.

The United Nations estimates that 10,000 people have been killed in the war and blames coalition air strikes for 60 percent of some 3,800 civilian deaths since March 2015.

Attacks continued on Saturday, with Houthi media claiming responsibility for firing another missile into Saudi Arabia, at a military camp in Asir province.

An air strike also hit the Houthi-controlled Hodeida port, killing a military commander responsible for operations in three provinces, according to a news agency affiliated with the group's leading ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A spokesman for the coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.</s>The United States and Britain called on Sunday for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported by Gulf states.

A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations’ estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen’s opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

“This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table,” Kerry told reporters.

“We cannot emphasize enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen,” he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire “as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday.”

The UN’s special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi’s lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for “clearer plans” for a ceasefire in the coming days

Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was “causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we’re seeing there are unacceptable.”

“There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire.”

Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials.

Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks.

“It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody,” Kerry said.

He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemen’s Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were “an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern.”</s>LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain called on Sunday for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported by Gulf states.

A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations’ estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen’s opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

“This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table,” Kerry told reporters.

“We cannot emphasize enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen,” he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire “as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday”.

The UN’s special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi’s lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for “clearer plans” for a ceasefire in the coming days

Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was “causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we’re seeing there are unacceptable”.

“There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire.”

Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials.

Slideshow (7 Images)

Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks.

“It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody,” Kerry said.

He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemen’s Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were “an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern”.</s>A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations' estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen's opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

"This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters.

"We cannot emphasize enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen," he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire "as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday".

The UN's special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi's lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for "clearer plans" for a ceasefire in the coming days

Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was "causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we're seeing there are unacceptable".

"There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire."

Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials.

Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks.

"It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody," Kerry said.

He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemen's Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were "an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern".
The United States and the United Kingdom call for, "within hours," an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end the violence following last week's Saudi airstrikes, based on bad information, that killed around 140 people.