Riyadh has an “open channel” with Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels with the goal of ending the country’s civil war, a Saudi official said Wednesday, weeks after the rebels offered to halt attacks on the kingdom. The comment comes after Saudi Arabia brokered a power sharing agreement between Yemen’s internationally recognised government and southern separatists, which observers say could pave the way for a wider peace deal. “We have had an open channel with the Huthis since 2016.