fahmi-reza
The conflict in Yemen has entered an alarming and far more dangerous phase following the breakdown of a four-year truce and a surge in military operations across several strategic regions, the United Nations special envoy told the Security Council during a briefing on the deteriorating situation.
Addressing council members, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg cautioned that the fragile peace which had held for several years is rapidly unravelling. The escalation follows significant territorial shifts on the ground, most notably the seizure by Houthi forces of the key coastal town of Mocha, located in close proximity to the vital Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The capture of Mocha marks a pivotal shift in the military landscape, granting Houthi fighters direct access near one of the globe's most critical maritime choke points. Officials warned that this territorial gain poses acute risks to the freedom of navigation and the secure transit of international trade and energy shipments passing through the Red Sea corridor.
According to Grundberg, armed confrontations have flared aggressively across multiple frontlines, spanning the governorates of Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, al-Jawf, and al-Bayda. The renewed hostilities have inflicted heavy civilian casualties and prompted massive internal population displacement across central and western Yemen.
UN records indicate that more than 11,400 households have been forced to flee their homes since September 3 alone as clashes intensified. In addition to frontline combat, cross-border operations have expanded, with Houthi forces launching strikes targeting energy installations and civilian infrastructure inside neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Grundberg urged Houthi leadership to immediately cease all hostile actions and maritime threats against commercial vessels traversing regional waterways. Emphasising the urgency of protecting civilians and safeguarding any remaining pathway toward a negotiated political settlement, the envoy warned that the ramifications of the renewed warfare will not remain confined within Yemen's borders.
The ambassador representing Yemen’s internationally recognised government, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, also delivered an address to the Security Council, strongly condemning the cross-border strikes against Saudi territory and affirming the kingdom's right to defend itself. He firmly rejected the use of Yemeni land to launch attacks against neighbouring nations.
Al-Saadi provided updated displacement figures to the council, stating that the latest Houthi offensive has uprooted at least 6,145 families, amounting to roughly 44,000 individuals. He stressed that rebel advances toward Bab al-Mandeb and ongoing strikes in the Red Sea pose an intolerable threat to international shipping routes.
The Yemeni representative called on the international community to adopt a more decisive approach to the crisis. Rather than merely responding to individual military incidents after they happen, he urged global powers to strictly cut off the flow of illicit weapons, specialized components, and foreign technical expertise reaching the rebel movement.
Echoing these concerns, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Abdulaziz al-Wasil, condemned the September 8 Houthi strikes that impacted various parts of the kingdom. Those attacks left 73 civilians wounded in what Riyadh described as a calculated escalation threatening broader regional security and maritime transit.
Al-Wasil called upon the Security Council to vigorously enforce Resolution 2216 and Resolution 2722, urging member states to cut off all channels of external assistance and logistical support that continue to enable Houthi military capabilities.
The United States representative aligned with these condemnations, accusing Tehran of providing the backing that empowers Houthi operations amid the broader regional war that the US and Israel launched against Iran in late February. Washington demanded an immediate cessation of rebel attacks and the unconditional release of detained diplomatic, humanitarian, and UN personnel currently held in Yemen.
Representing the Gulf Cooperation Council, Bahrain’s Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei stated that the fall of Mocha has drastically worsened the humanitarian plight of local populations while endangering global commercial navigation near Bab al-Mandeb. Alrowaiei insisted on accountability for violators and demanded rigorous enforcement of targeted sanctions and existing arms embargoes.
The military escalation comes as the humanitarian situation reaches catastrophic levels, with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs classifying Yemen as a top-tier hunger hotspot of highest concern. The agency warned that the renewed violence is severely crippling food access and driving up rates of severe malnutrition across the country.
According to OCHA assessments, an estimated 18.3 million Yemenis are currently enduring acute food insecurity, struggling daily to obtain basic sustenance. The crisis falls hardest on the youngest, with more than 2.2 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition, including over half a million who are afflicted by severe acute malnutrition and require immediate lifesaving intervention.
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