U.N. Security Council blacklists three Houthis in Yemen

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council blacklisted three Houthi leaders on Wednesday for threatening the peace, security and stability of Yemen, subjecting them to a global asset freeze and travel ban and a targeted arms embargo.

The 15 council members agreed by consensus to impose sanctions on the head of the general staff leading the Houthi’s Marib offensive, Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari; a leader of Houthi forces assigned to the Marib advance, Yusuf al-Madani; and the Houthi’s assistant defense minister, Saleh Mesfer Saleh Al Shaer, who is accused of helping the group acquire smuggled arms and weapons.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a humanitarian crisis, pushing Yemen to the brink of famine.

A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition intervened in neighboring Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis ousted the internationally recognized government from the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney)