UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN secretary-general's special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, on Monday welcomed the announcement of Houthi rebels to halt drone and missile attacks.

"The SE (special envoy) welcomes AA's announcement to halt drone and missile strikes; hopes that all parties continue to exercise restraint, to create a conducive environment for convening the consultations," Griffiths' office tweeted, using the acronym of the rebel force's official name, Ansar Allah.

Griffiths told the Security Council on Friday that he intended to reconvene the country's warring parties in Sweden, saying he had received firm assurance from the leadership of the parties to attend the meeting.

Yemen has been in civil war in the past three years, pitting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition to support the Hadi government. Houthi rebels had launched missiles at the allies from time to time.

Griffiths intends to visit Sanaa, the rebel-held Yemeni capital, this week to finalize arrangements for the meeting in Sweden, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday.

The special envoy also plans to visit Yemen's Hudaydah this week with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande to revisit a UN supervisory role and to draw attention to the continued need for a pause in the fighting, said the spokesman.