U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for an “immediate cease-fire” in Yemen, where a Sunni Arab-led coalition is conducting airstrikes against Shi’ite rebels.

In a speech Thursday in Washington, Ban warned Yemen was “in flames” and said the only resolution was for “all sides” to stop hostilities and take part in negotiations.

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

At least 700 people have died since the Saudi Arabia-led coalition began airstrikes three weeks ago against the Houthi rebels, which are believed to be backed by Iran.

Earlier this week, the U.N. special envoy to Yemen, the Morocco-born Jamal Benomar, left his post after failing to bring both sides together for peace talks.

Diplomatic sources have said Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will soon be named as Benomar’s replacement, possibly as early as Friday.

The Saudis and many of their coalition allies are reported to have been frustrated with what they saw as Benomar’s soft stance toward the Houthis.

Ban has not commented on Benomar’s replacement, but the U.N. chief said Thursday the Saudis have assured him they understand “there must be a political process.”

The airstrike campaign has so far failed to deliver a decisive blow against the Houthis, but has helped lead to a security vacuum in many parts of the country.

The Houthis took control of the capital, Sana’a, in September. They have since swept southward, forcing the Western-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee.

The Houthis are allied with former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted as part of the so-called Arab Spring protests in 2012.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, considered one of the world’s most powerful terrorist groups, hopes to use the chaos to expand its influence in the country.

On Thursday, al-Qaida militants took control of a major airport in Mukalla, a southern port city and the capital of Yemen’s largest province, Hadramawt.

Officials say the al-Qaida fighters faced little resistance from the military Thursday in Mukalla. A major oil terminal in southern Yemen also fell under the control of militants.

Earlier this month, al-Qaida fighters captured a Yemeni military camp in Mukalla.  They also stormed a prison in the city, freeing close to 300 prisoners.
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