The UN Security Council voted Tuesday to terminate a mission that tried to enforce a ceasefire in war-torn Yemen’s port city of Hodeida.

Axar.az informs the resolution was adopted with 13 votes in favor, while China and Russia abstained.

The United States strongly backed the decision to close the mission, arguing that ongoing restrictions imposed by the Houthis had rendered UNMHA unworkable. US deputy ambassador Tammy Bruce said, “As the Secretary-General noted, the mission’s operating environment is non-permissive.”

She asserted the Houthis are deliberately undermining the mission, saying, “Houthis obstructionism has left the mission without a purpose, and it has to close.” Bruce went on to describe the Houthis as “a terrorist organization who, with the support of the Iranian regime, pose a continuing threat to regional stability and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.”

The resolution extends UNMHA’s mandate for a final two-month period, until 31 March, to allow for the safe and orderly drawdown of the mission, including the withdrawal of its personnel and assets and the end of the UN’s permanent presence in Hodeidah.