Houthis reject UN arms embargo, call for protests in Yemen

Yemeni Houthi rebels rejected on Wednesday an arms embargo and extension of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, and called for mass protests against the action.

In a brief statement, the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee described the UN resolution, adopted on Tuesday, as an "aggression", Efe news agency reported.

The statement, therefore, urged "the masses of the Yemeni people to demonstrate on Thursday to condemn the Security Council resolution supporting the aggression", referring to the Arab coalition offensive waged against the Shia Houthi rebels.

Although the call for mass demonstrations was for Thursday, dozens of people rallied on Wednesday outside the UN office in Sanaa to protest the resolution.

The Security Council extended the UN sanctions against Houthi rebels and imposed an arms embargo in a resolution submitted by Jordan on behalf of the Arab countries, which was supported by all council members except Russia, which abstained.

The sanctions include a travel ban and freezing of assets of both the rebel leader, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, and Ahmed Saleh, son of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The first to welcome the resolution was Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition composed of Arab countries and five of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states.

The Arab coalition launched its attack on the Houthis on March 26 to halt their advance on the southern city of Aden, where President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi had established his temporary headquarters after fleeing Sanaa, which fell into rebel hands last September.