Senior US officials have held a first direct meeting with officials from the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls Yemen's capital, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the new US administration pushes to end a six-year war.
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The discussions, which have not been officially made public by either side, took place in the Omani capital Muscat on Feb. 26 between US Yemen envoy Timothy Lenderking and the Houthis' chief negotiator Mohammed Abdusalam, the sources said.
The Houthis captured Yemen's capital in 2014 and control most populated areas. A Saudi-led coalition has battled them with tacit Western support since 2015 in a war that has killed tens of thousands and created what the United Nations considers the world's biggest humanitarian crisis.
The Saudis and Houthis have been negotiating for more than a year towards a truce, directly and under the auspices of the United Nations.
