Hey, short THREAD on Yemen developments. It's important.

1/ Yemen confirmed its first case of COVID-19 Friday. This is really dangerous - half of their health care system has been destroyed by civil war & malnourishment is everywhere.

But there is hope. A peace deal, lurking.

2/ The good news is that Saudi Arabia (the kingdom fights on one side the civil war) announced a nationwide ceasefire that went into effect on Thursday. After years of obstructing peace talks, it seems the Saudis are finally looking for a way out.

3/ The Houthis need to join the ceasefire and UN-led political negotiations. Now is the time for talks. Neither side has gained ground in years, and COVID-19 is about to ravage the war-torn nation. Peace is the only chance to stop a health catastrophe.

4/ Both the Saudi side and the Houthis have obstructed and diverted humanitarian aid during the war. This must stop at once, and the ceasefire allows both sides to focus on a) political solution; and b) preventing a massive, unmanageable COVID-19 outbreak.

5/ But a deal cannot happen without active, direct engagement from the White House & @SecPompeo. I wish this weren't the case, but it's true. The UN needs help.

Trump has capital to spend with the Saudis. Now is the time to call in the chit, with a historic peace deal in reach.