SANAA, Yemen

The United Nations said Sunday that efforts were underway to reach a truce in war-torn Yemen ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, due to start next week.

"UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is engaging with all sides and continues his efforts towards a truce during Ramadan,” his office said in a statement.

Grundberg reiterated the UN’s call for de-escalation by all warring parties in Yemen.

On Friday, Houthi rebels launched drone and missile attacks on vital energy facilities in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition responded by launching a military operation against rebel locations in the capital Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of al-Hudaydah.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthis since 2015, one year after the Iran-aligned rebels overran much of Yemen, including Sanaa.

The eight-year conflict has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of the country, or about 30 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar