The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen’s Huthi rebels has declared a two-week ceasefire in the country starting Thursday in a bid to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Announcing the unilateral ceasefire, the coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki on Wednesday said: “We are expecting the Houthis will accept. We are preparing the ground to fight COVID-19” in Yemen. “The coalition is determined… to support efforts towards combatting the spread of COVID-19 pandemic,” Turki al-Maliki, the military alliance’s spokesman, said on Wednesday. “The coalition announces a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen for a period of two weeks, starting on Thursday.” The two-week truce, which could be extended, was aimed at creating “appropriate conditions” for a UN-sponsored meeting between the warring parties to enable a “permanent ceasefire” in Yemen, Maliki added. There was no immediate response to from the Houthi rebels or the internationally recognized Yemen government.