Arabic version: مبعوث الأمم المتحدة يقول إن اليمن عاد إلى حرب شاملة

According to Al Jazeera, United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council that Yemen has slid back into “full-scale war” as fighting continues between the Houthis and internationally recognised government forces. He said civilians, including women and children, were bearing the “brunt of escalating violence”.

Grundberg said instability across the Middle East was affecting Yemen, while developments in Yemen were reverberating across the region. He said regional security, freedom of navigation and protection of international trade were legitimate concerns, but international engagement must also be grounded in the realities of Yemen and the needs and aspirations of its people.

The envoy urged a shift towards political strategies, warning that war should not become Yemen’s permanent reality. “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 collectively. The UN said at least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 injured since August, with children suffering a disproportionate toll.

Abdullah Ali Fadhel al-Saadi, the UN representative for Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said the Houthi threat was no longer an internal Yemeni matter. He called for measures to curb flows of funding, weapons and technology to the Iranian-backed group. Saudi authorities reported that two attacks struck King Khalid International Airport north of Riyadh on Thursday, killing three Saudi citizens. Saudi Arabia’s UN representative, Abdulaziz al-Wasil, called on the council to address what he described as a “dangerous escalation” in Yemen.