Yemen: Houthis release 48 detainees in move 'not part of prisoner swap deal'

Yemen's Houthi movement has released 48 detainees who fought alongside Saudi-led coalition forces, a rebel-controlled media outlet said.

The detainees had been "lured" into fighting by the pro-government international coalition and its "mercenaries", the Houthi-run SABA news agency said, reporting they were released in Sanaa.

The Wednesday move is not part of an upcoming large-scale prisoner exchange, a source at the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is helping implement the deal, told The New Arab.

The three-day swap will see 181 detainees freed by the Iran-backed Houthis, including Saudis and Sudanese, with 706 being released by the Yemeni government.

The initiative had been set to begin on Thursday, but both Houthi and Yemeni government officials have now said the exchange will start on Friday.

The largest swap in two-and-a-half years will see prisoners transported by plane, both internally and to neighbouring Saudi Arabia, according to Majid Fadael, the official spokesman for the government delegation negotiating the exchange.

It is taking place after a delegation from Saudi Arabia held talks with Houthi rebels this week in an attempt to end hostilities.

The swap also comes amid improved ties between Riyadh and Iran, with the archrivals agreeing in March to restore diplomatic ties.

Yemen was plunged into a devastating war in 2014 when the Houthis pushed the government out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the fighting on the government's side the year after, with thousands of Yemenis killed.

A six-month United Nations-brokered truce that officially lapsed in October is still largely holding.

Agencies contributed to this report.