The head of the U.N.'s World Food Program says progress has been made in Yemen, months after he accused Houthi rebels of stealing food from the hungry by diverting aid.

David Beasley, the executive director of the WFP, nevertheless told The Associated Press in Cairo on Thursday that Yemen is "far from being out of the deep, dark abyss."

As the WFP is scaling up its operations in Yemen, covering almost 10 million people described as "severely food insecure," the agency has been sending special teams to monitor aid delivery.

In December, the WFP threatened to suspend some aid shipments if the Houthis did not investigate and stop theft and fraud in food distribution.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition for four years.