Yemeni troops
Yemen ceasefire to begin today as UN talks open
Two earlier UN attempts at talks failed and the accompanying ceasefires quickly unraveled.
John Kerry welcomed the proposal, saying neither Saudi Arabia nor the US was talking about sending troops.
Warplanes bombed Yemen despite an announcement it was ending its campaign of air strikes.
Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will be the new special envoy to Yemen.
One resident said the strikes appeared to hit mainly around the presidential palace.
The fighting has brought civil war to a country already sliding into chaos.
There was no word on the identity of the Briton or the South African.
Shi’ite Muslim Houthi rebels and government forces clashed in northern Yemen.
The gunmen targeted the main military posts, the local police headquarters and bank branches.
The fighting took place in Gol al-Rayda and Azzan districts of Shabwa province.
The attack destroyed a car carrying the militants in the Wadi Abida district of the northern province.
Lawmakers say the al Qaeda threat is the most serious in years.
Officials in Yemen said two soldiers were killed by gunmen in the raid.