UN Approves Team to Monitor Ceasefire in Yemen's Port City

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of its observers to war-torn Yemen to monitor a fragile truce in the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah.

The resolution, submitted by Britain, was the subject of tough negotiations among the 15 council members, and was amended several times before the vote on Friday.

The resolution also endorsed the results of UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden last week, when Yemen's warring parties agreed to a ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday.

A withdrawal of fighters in Hodeidah, a key gateway for aid and food imports in the impoverished nation, was a part of the truce.

The ceasefire between Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi rebels is seen as the best chance yet of ending four years of Yemen's devastating conflict.

The agreement also included a planned prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees.