UN team arrives in Yemen to monitor cease-fire

'In a positive spirit'

In a statement also released late on Friday, the Yemeni government pledged to work "in a positive spirit" with UN envoy Martin Griffiths toward a lasting political agreement to end the war

Saudi Arabia also welcomed the resolution.

Khalid Manzalawi, the kingdom's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said the resolution means that the Houthis "will lose their margin of maneuver", the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The cease-fire remained shaky, however, with both sides accusing each other of violations in Hodeida province.

Around 10,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led intervention, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the death toll could be higher.

The conflict has unleashed a major humanitarian crisis and pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of famine.

The aid group Save the Children welcomed the UN resolution but said that more needed to be done in a country where around 85,000 children are estimated to have died from extreme hunger and disease.

"Council members need to put politics aside in the new year and be ready to take further action to support the political process and address the humanitarian situation on the ground. The lives of thousands of Yemeni children remain at stake," it said in a statement.

Reuters-AFP