The UN envoy to Yemen on Wednesday expressed optimism after meeting with the top leader of the Houthi rebels in a bid to end the civil war in the country. Before departure from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, Martin Griffiths said the rebels expressed a “strong desire for peace” and discussed “concrete ideas for achieving peace,” AP reports. He also said he may meet with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the southern city of Aden. A Saudi-led coalition allied with Hadi’s internationally recognized government has been at war with the Houthis since 2015, and previous peace efforts have failed.