U.N. experts say Iran violated a U.N. arms embargo by directly or indirectly providing missiles and drones to Shiite rebels in Yemen in a report that also criticizes the rebels and Saudi-led coalition for attacks on civilians.

According to excerpts from the report obtained Friday by The Associated Press and diplomats, the 79-page report paints a devastating picture of the Arab world's poorest nation caught in a conflict that many view as a proxy war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

"After nearly three years of conflict, Yemen as a state has all but ceased to exist," the report said.

The war has caused profound misery among Yemen's 28 million people with more than 10,000 killed, 7 million on the brink of famine, and 1 million affected by cholera.