World

UN Envoy Declares Yemen Back in Full-Scale War, Calls for Dialogue

By Al Jazeera Staff

United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg said Yemen has slipped back into “full‑scale war” as fighting between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government continues. During a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, Grundberg warned that civilians, including women and children, are bearing the “brunt of escalating violence.” He noted that instability in the Middle East continues to affect Yemen and that developments in Yemen, in turn, reverberate across the region. Grundberg said regional security, freedom of navigation and protection of international trade are legitimate concerns that must be addressed, and that international engagement must be grounded in Yemen’s realities and the needs of its people.

He urged that, unless war becomes Yemen’s permanent reality, the time to consider political strategies is now. “Ultimately, gains on the battlefield cannot substitute for the negotiations that will be required to settle the conflict,” he said, calling on Security Council members to support mediation efforts.

According to the UN, at least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 injured since August, with children bearing a disproportionate toll.

The UN representative for Yemen’s internationally recognised government, Abdullah Ali Fadhel al‑Saadi, told the Council that the threat from the Houthis is no longer an “internal Yemeni affair.” He urged the Council to take “decisive, practical measures” to reduce the flow of funding, weapons and technology to the Iranian‑backed group and to strengthen cooperation with the Yemeni government. Al‑Saadi thanked Riyadh for standing beside the Yemeni people and supporting state institutions and the economy.

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue. The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority reported that King Khalid International Airport, north of Riyadh, was hit twice on Thursday, killing three Saudi citizens. Gulf states and European countries condemned the attack; Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs called it “unacceptable.”

Saudi Arabia’s UN representative, Abdulaziz al‑Wasil, said the UN must address the “dangerous escalation” in Yemen. He warned that rapid developments and continued escalation by the Houthi militias must be addressed by the Council and that Riyadh will not allow Yemen to become a staging ground for threats to its security or freedom of navigation.