Security Council: Escalating Attacks Threaten Peace In Yemen – UN News

What you need to know

• The Houthis took de facto control of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, in 2014, with the UN brokering a landmark truce in 2022
• 19.5 million people required humanitarian assistance and protection in 2025, with Yemen remaining among the world’s most severe humanitarian and development crises
• Cross-border fighting resumed and the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi-linked ships last month
• The Security Council issued a statement on 7 August expressing concern about heightened tensions in the region following the United States and Israel’s February attack and ongoing war against Iran and condemned Houthi missile strikes against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels
• Houthi forces struck a commercial ship on 11 August, killing six people and injuring others in the Bab al-Mandab Strait

In brief – Yemen

The facts: Yemen is at the greatest risk of sliding into large-scale conflict since 2022, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council, as Houthi attacks on commercial shipping threaten global trade and the country’s fragile truce brokered four years ago. A recent strike killed four crew members, while rising regional tensions are squeezing trade and energy flows.

The impact: Under-Secretary-Generalfor Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that the humanitarian toll is already severe: 6 million Yemenis facing deprivation, while the UN appeal is only 20 per cent funded.

The call to action: Council members called on the parties to de-escalate immediately, restore negotiations and protect maritime security in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. Several condemned the Iran-backed Houthi attacks. Yemen’s representative accused the group of turning its territory into a platform for Iran’s militia. Mr. Grundberg urged a negotiated off-ramp and economic de-escalation, while Mr. Fletcher pressed donors for predictable funding to prevent further humanitarian cuts.

A full summary of today’s meeting is available on our website – https://press.un.org/en/2026/sc16431.doc.htm

Yemen at risk of spiraling backwards, Ambassador warns

“We convene at a delicate and pivotal juncture in Yemen’s history, following weeks of rapid and dangerous escalation,” said Ambassador Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi of Yemen.

For more than a decade, the Yemeni people have paid a tragic price resulting from a war waged by the terrorist Houthi militias, who have chosen chaos and war over peace, sectarianism over equal rights and the “agenda of the Iranian regime” over the well-being of their own people.

After countless violations over recent years, the Houthis are now attempting to establish an air bridge between Iran and Sana’a by which to transfer deadly arms and munitions.

They are increasingly attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and vital port infrastructure – which recently led to the deaths of several seafarers – and are using drones to target civilians in neighbouring countries.

“[The Houthis] have turned the territory of Yemen into a platform for the [Iranian Revolutionary National Guard] militia […] dragging Yemen into yet more insecurity and instability,” he stressed.

He welcomed the Council’s recent statement of support for the legitimate Government and its right over its national airspace.

Condemnations must be coupled with tangible actions – including efforts to halt the smuggling of weapons and military technology to the Houthis.

“Peace in Yemen requires addressing the roots of the conflict, ending the coup, restoring State institutions and complying with the will of the Yemeni people,” he stressed.

Arab coalition overreacted to 13 July incident, Moscow says

“Everything began with the landing of civilian aircraft in Sana’a on the 3rd of July and in Hudaydah on the 13th of July,” said Deputy Permanent Representative Maria Zabolotskaya of the Russian Federation.

These flights should have been coordinated in advance with the official Yemeni authorities.

“However, the very harsh reaction to them from the Arab coalition, in the form of bombings of the runway at Sana’a International Airport, seems excessive,” she said.

She agreed on the need to unconditionally ensure the freedom of maritime navigation and condemned threats to commercial shipping.

However, the prolonged stagnation in the Yemeni peace process forced the Houthis to be “dragged into a regional confrontation initiated by the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

She urged an immediate resumption of negotiations on the Yemeni settlement road map and the international community to support Yemen “instead of attaching additional conditions to the launch of a political process”.

Context: What is the 2022 Yemen truce?

After the Houthi militia seized Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, in 2014, conflict ensued with the internationally recognized Yemeni Government until the UN brokered a truce in 2022.

That landmark two-month-long agreement has since been renewed, with the UN Security Council hearing updates via regular briefings.

Here are highlights of the original 2022 truce:

• A halt to all offensive ground, aerial and maritime military operations inside and outside of Yemen and a freeze in current military positions on the ground
• Entry of 18 fuel ships during the two-month truce to the ports of Hudaydah
• Two commercial flights per week in and out of Sana’a Airport during the two-month truce to Jordan and Egypt
• Once the truce comes into effect, the UN Special Envoy will invite the parties to a meeting to agree on opening roads in Taiz and other governorates to facilitate the movement of civilian men, women and children, benefiting from the atmosphere of the truce
• Engagement of the parties with the Special Envoy on proposals for next steps towards ending the war

The parties had also signed the Stockholm Agreement, Hudaydah Agreement and the Prisoners Exchange Agreement.

Read the full 2022 truce here – https://osesgy.unmissions.org/en/document-library/united-nations-initiative-for-a-two-month-truce

Context: Deadly ship attack threatens global trade

A strike on a merchant ship off the southern coast of Yemen that reportedly killed several seafarers on Tuesday threatens to reignite deep concerns about global trade, amid the ongoing Iran-United States war that has choked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Key points

• Red Sea is a vital global trade route
• Even greater uncertainty for shipping
• Seafarers must be protected, says the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO)