Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels are to fly to Riyadh for the first publicly announced visit since a Saudi-led military coalition opened hostilities in 2015, government and diplomatic sources said on Thursday.
The Huthis' visit, expected in the coming days, will raise hopes of a breakthrough in the quagmire conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead through direct and indirect causes such as famine.
It comes five months after Saudi officials held talks in Sanaa, and as a UN-brokered ceasefire continues to largely hold despite officially lapsing in October.
Yemen was plunged into war when the Huthis seized control of the capital Sanaa in September 2014, prompting the Saudi-led intervention the following March.
The ensuing fighting has forced millions from their homes, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in a country already pummeled by decades of conflict and upheaval.
Moves towards peace in Yemen have accelerated since heavyweight regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a surprise rapprochement in March, seven years after they broke off ties.
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