Smoke rises after a Saudi-led airstrike hits an army base in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Dec. 5.

A ceasefire to halt nine months of war in Yemen will take hold at noon local time (0900 GMT) on Tuesday, coinciding with the start of U.N.-backed peace talks in Switzerland, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday.

“The command of the coalition forces announces a ceasefire as of 12 P.M. Sanaa time … while retaining the right to respond to any breach of the ceasefire,” the alliance said in a statement on the Saudi state news agency, SPA.

“The ceasefire (will last) for a period of seven days starting from the 15th to the 21st of December in conjunction with the launch of consultations, and will be renewed automatically in the event of the commitment of the other party,” it said.

The coalition opened a military campaign in late March to stop Houthi militias from taking complete control of Yemen after they seized the capital, Sanaa, last year. The Houthi militias accuse the coalition of launching a war of aggression.

The campaign has brought embattled Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi little closer to running a united country again.

Related articles across the web

• Yemen's exiled president returns to war-torn country
• At least 10 people killed in Houthu-run mosque suicide bombing in Yemen
• Yemeni officials: Exiled President arrives in Yemen's Aden
• Yemeni officials: Exiled President arrives in Yemen's Aden
• Yemeni officials: Exiled President arrives in Yemen's Aden
• Yemen IS branch says it's behind mosque blast that killed 25
• Blast Kills 25 In Yemen Mosque
• ISIS suicide attack kills 10 at Yemen mosque
• At least 25 killed after blast at mosque in Yemen's capital during prayers
• Yemeni officials: Exiled President arrives in Yemen's Aden