Houthis 'could demand Khashoggi body' as part of prisoner swap deal

Yemen's Houthi rebels have said they are willing to demand Saudi Arabia return the body of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi as part of a mass prisoner exchange with the Riyadh-backed government of Yemen.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, who heads the Houthis' supreme revolutionary council, made the comments on Twitter after the warring parties struck a breakthrough ceasefire agreement on Thursday.

"If Khashoggi's sons ask or if they want us to demand their father's body then we will do it," Houthi said.

"Please let us know before the prisoner swap takes place," he said, adding that the slain journalist was also a victim of "Saudi aggression".

The rebels and the Saudi-backed government signed a mass prisoner exchange deal earlier this week at peace talks in Sweden, which ended on Thursday with an agreement for a cessation of hostilities in the vital port city of Hodeida.

Khashoggi, who had been critical of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, was killed in the Saudi mission in Istanbul on 6 October.

After weeks of denials, Riyadh admitted Khashoggi was killed in its mission in what it said was a "rogue" operation.

Khashoggi's remains have still not been found amid reports Saudi agents dismembered the body and dissolved it in acid.

The UN Senate on Thursday held the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the murder of Khashoggi - a charge Riyadh has denied.

Senators also approved a resolution to end US military support for Riyadh's war in Yemen.