With the death toll rising amid fierce fighting in Yemen, the UN Secretary General has called for an immediate ceasefire.

It is the first time Ban Ki-moon has made such an appeal since Saudi-led airstrikes against Houthi rebels allied with Iran began three weeks ago.

The Houthis and soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh are battling forces loyal to Hadi.

“I am calling for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen by all the parties,” Ban said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington.

“The Saudis have assured me that they understand that there must be a political process. I call on all Yemenis to participate in good faith.

“The United Nations-supported diplomatic process remains the best way out of a drawn-out war with terrifying implications for regional stability,” he said.

Ban’s special adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, recently resigned, reportedly frustrated about the lack of progress in peace talks.

He has been replaced by the Mauritanian diplomat I