ISTANBUL

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday welcomed a move by the UN Security Council to classify Yemen’s Houthi rebel group as terrorists and extend an arms embargo to all of its members.

The OIC said in a statement that It hopes the UN’s decision will contribute to ending the actions of the Houthis and their supporters, adding the threat of the Houthi militias to the Yemeni people, international shipping and neighboring countries will be limited.

Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, the secretary general of the GCC, expressed his desire for the UN’s decision to contribute to ending the activities of the Houthis, stopping the bloodshed of the Yemeni people, and stopping the supply of missiles, weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The UN Security Council on Monday labelled the Houthis a "terrorist group" for the first time and expanded an arms embargo against the organization.

The bill submitted by the UK to the council was adopted by 11 votes in favor and none against while Ireland, Mexico, Brazil and Norway abstained.

The adopted bill calls on member states to "increase their efforts to combat the smuggling of arms and components by land and sea" and urges all member states to fulfill their obligations to prevent such transfers.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or around 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan