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 UN-backed peace talks in Switzerland, the Saudi-led coalition said.

"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.

Two earlier UN attempts at talks failed and the accompanying ceasefires quickly unravelled, creating a humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The coalition opened a military campaign in late March to stop the Houthis from taking complete control of Yemen after they seized the capital, Sanaa, last year. – Reuters