Saudi-led coalition declares Yemen ceasefire starting Tuesday

The Saudi-led coalition said Monday that a ceasefire in Yemen will begin the following morning instead of at midnight as earlier announced, as warring parties prepared for talks in Switzerland.

The coalition said the truce will begin at 0900 GMT following a request by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, but warned that it "reserves the right to respond in case of any violation" by the rebels, said a statement carried by the SPA state news agency.

The statement said Hadi wrote to Saudi King Salman informing him and the coalition of a Yemeni government decision to "declare a 7-day ceasefire initiative", as talks begin at an undisclosed location in Switzerland.

The truce "would be renewed automatically if the other party commits to it", the statement cited Hadi as saying.

The ceasefire announcement comes hours after two senior Saudi-led coalition commanders were killed by rebel rocket fire near Bab al-Mandab.

The United Nations says more than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen, about half of them civilians, and more than 27,000 wounded since the start of the Saudi-led military intervention in March.