UN envoy warns Security Council Yemen’s war has entered ‘dangerous phase’

What the report says

United Nations special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council that the country is entering a “new and more dangerous phase of war” as the fragile truce in Yemen continues to unravel, according to Al Jazeera. The council met after Houthi fighters captured the port city of Mocha near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a chokepoint that is important for global shipping and energy transport.

Grundberg said the fighting has spread across several provinces, including Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, al-Jawf and al-Bayda, with civilian deaths and new displacement reported since early September. He urged the Houthis to stop attacks and threats against commercial vessels and called for steps to protect civilians and keep alive a political settlement. He warned that the war’s effects could extend beyond Yemen.

Yemen’s UN ambassador for the internationally recognized government, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, condemned the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and said the escalation has driven more families from their homes. Saudi Arabia’s envoy also denounced the attacks and called for stronger enforcement of existing UN measures. In general terms, those resolutions include an arms embargo and sanctions linked to Yemen’s conflict.

The UN humanitarian office separately warned that food access and malnutrition are worsening, with millions facing acute food insecurity. The developments underscore how battlefield gains, cross-border attacks and the humanitarian crisis are increasingly intertwined in Yemen’s war.