UN Chief Guterres Alarmed by 'Sharp Escalation' in Yemen, Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia
The warning comes as Saudi-backed government forces push towards Bab al-Mandeb and Sanaa in a new offensive
3 min read
File photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the European Parliament in Brussels, June 2021. Photo: European Parliament, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN Secretary-General António Guterres raised the alarm on Monday over the "sharp escalation" of fighting in Yemen, as Saudi-backed government forces pressed a new offensive against the Iran-aligned Houthis, according to AFP.
"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the sharp escalation in fighting, which has intensified markedly in recent days. He condemns the continued Houthi cross-border attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said, AFP reported.
A war widening by the day
The UN warning comes a day after Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced military operations to retake the remaining territory held by the Houthis, Al Jazeera reported.
Since then, the army of the internationally recognised government says it has reclaimed the Dhubab district and key positions near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and has launched a "strategic offensive" on the capital, Sanaa, held by the Houthis since 2014.
Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told Reuters on Monday that government forces had secured effective control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, though fighting with Houthi forces continues in the area. A Houthi-run news agency, meanwhile, cited a military source as saying the group had driven government forces from the al-Mawasit district of Taiz province, according to Reuters. Neither side's battlefield claims could be independently verified.
Attacks on Saudi soil
The Houthis said on Sunday they had fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area, claiming the attacks caused major fires, Reuters reported. Reports have since conflicted over whether a vital Saudi pipeline was hit.
On Monday, a Houthi-affiliated group also warned airlines against operating in Saudi airspace, according to CBS News. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said a Saudi strike in the Bani Hashish area of Sanaa governorate had killed a student. "A student was killed and two others were wounded in a Saudi attack," the channel reported, as cited by AFP.
Civilians caught in the middle
The UN has repeatedly warned about the humanitarian toll. On 28 September, Dujarric said the fighting had forced some 142,000 people from their homes, citing the International Organization for Migration.
"Civilians remain caught up in the fragmented front line of this war, and the announcement of an expanded military operation leaves tens of thousands with the prospect of continued displacement and hunger as a humanitarian crisis takes hold," Al Jazeera's Michael Appel said.
Why it matters beyond Yemen
Bab al-Mandeb, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, has become even more important this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by the Iran conflict, Reuters noted. The fighting threatens another major oil route, with Brent crude hovering around $100 a barrel.
