UN Security Council extends Yemen arms embargo to all Houthi rebels

UNITED NATIONS, United States — The UN Security Council voted Monday to extend to all of Yemen's Houthi rebels an arms embargo that until now targeted only some leaders of the guerrilla group.

Yemen has been embroiled since 2014 in a civil war between the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognised government supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.

Monday's resolution backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is part of the coalition, was adopted with 11 votes in favor and four abstentions.

Russia, which is close to Iran, voted in favour of the resolution targeting the rebels.

Diplomats said this suggests a deal was cut between Russia and the United Arab Emirates for the latter to abstain in upcoming UN votes on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

One diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity called this "cynicism at its max."

The resolution states that the Houthi rebels in their entirety will now be subject to an arms embargo first declared in 2015 on some of their leaders.

Targeting of the rebels runs the risk of making the UN seem to lose its neutrality in the war in Yemen, experts say.

While important politically, the extension of the arms embargo will not change things much on the ground in the war itself, a diplomatic source said.