Hundreds of detainees from Yemen's conflict were released Saturday as part of a major prisoner exchange that began a day earlier, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
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The deal, brokered by the United Nations last month, has been the most significant exchange of prisoners in years. It comes amid concerted and diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the long-running war in Yemen.
It involves the release of more than 800 prisoners from all sides of the war that began in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, overthrowing the internationally recognized government. The government fled to the south and then into exile in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi takeover prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later, and the conflict turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the United States long involved on the periphery, providing intelligence assistance to the kingdom. However, international criticism over Saudi airstrikes killing civilians saw the US pull back its support.
