Today, Monday, the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution extending the ban on the delivery of weapons to Yemen to include all Houthis, after it was limited to specific individuals and companies.

The resolution expanded the arms embargo imposed on many leaders of the Houthi group to include all of its members without exception.

Eleven countries voted in favor of the resolution and 4 countries abstained: Norway, Mexico, Brazil and Ireland.

The resolution obtained by Anadolu Agency condemned the cross-border attacks launched by the Houthi group, including those targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The resolution issued today under No. (2624) classified the Houthi group as an entity subject to the measures imposed in paragraph 14 of resolution (2216), which refers to the ban on targeted weapons.

In 2016, the Security Council adopted Resolution (2216) and imposed sanctions against some leaders of the Houthi group and forces loyal to the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and they are renewed annually, and the mandate of the resolution was scheduled to end today, Monday.

Houthi fighters in Marib (Reuters)

Suggestions and confirmation

While the resolution issued today included a new emphasis on the need to enforce the targeted arms embargo, based on proposals submitted by the UAE, the resolution called on member states to increase efforts to combat arms smuggling through land and sea routes, and urged them to respect and implement their obligations to prevent transfers.

Diplomats interpreted Russia's vote, which is close to Iran and supports the Houthis, in favor of the resolution as the result of an "agreement" between Moscow and Abu Dhabi, through which Moscow aimed to ensure that the UAE abstained from voting in the Security Council against Russian military action in Ukraine.

Yemen has been witnessing for nearly 7 years a continuous war between the pro-government forces backed by an Arab military coalition led by the neighboring Saudi Arabia, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have controlled several governorates, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.

Last November, the United Nations announced that by the end of 2021, the war in Yemen will have killed 377,000 people.