Riyadh, April 22 (RHC)-- Saudi Arabia has declared the end of "Decisive Storm" operation against Yemen, and announced the beginning of a new phase dubbed "Operation Restoring Hope," Saudi state TV says.

Saudi Arabia has ended the military operation based on a request by the Yemeni government and fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, said Saudi government spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri on a televised broadcast on Tuesday.

He added that the Saudi naval blockade on Yemen would stay in place and the Saudi forces would continue targeting the Ansarullah movement's Houthi fighters.

According to a Saudi military statement, the next phase of the operations -- which would be aimed at commencing political talks and delivering aid, and a mixture of political, diplomatic and military efforts -- starts on Wednesday.

Another statement by the Saudi Defense Ministry said that the Saudi airstrikes havedestroyed “heavy weaponry and ballistic missiles which were seized by the Houthi militia and forces allied to (former president) Ali Abduallh Saleh from army bases and camps."