UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council called on Thursday for an "immediate cessation" of hostilities in Yemen, which it said were threatening a political process aimed at ending the war.

"The Members of the Security Council expressed their serious concern at the significant escalation of violence in Nehm and Al Jawf and its impact on civilians, thousands of whom had been displaced in recent days," the council said in a unanimously passed declaration.

The text said it was necessary to maintain a ceasefire in the western city of Hodeida, as per a landmark agreement signed in Sweden in December 2018 and hailed as Yemen's best chance so far to end the fighting.

The Council members also called for the "immediate stop to all intimidation of humanitarian workers" and "safe and unhindered access" in the north of the country.

The declaration came after an emergency Council meeting held Tuesday at Britain's request.

The war, which began in 2015, pits Iranian-backed Huthi rebels against government forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.

The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, most of them civilians, according to non-governmental groups. The UN has classified the Yemen war as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. — AFP