UN Envoy Warns Yemen Has Returned to 'Full-Scale War,' Urges Dialogue

On October 10, during a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Yemen, UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the country has returned to a state of "full-scale war" as fighting between Houthi forces and internationally recognized government forces continues.

According to Grundberg, civilians, including women and children, are "bearing the heavy consequences of escalating violence." He said: "The instability unfolding in the Middle East continues to affect the situation in Yemen, while developments in Yemen in turn have an impact back on the region."

The UN envoy stressed: "Regional security, freedom of navigation and the protection of international trade are legitimate concerns that must be addressed. International engagement on Yemen must also be grounded in Yemen's reality and the needs and aspirations of its people."

Grundberg also noted that "unless war becomes a permanent reality for Yemen, this is the moment to consider political strategies." He asserted: "Ultimately, battlefield gains cannot substitute for the negotiations needed to resolve the conflict," and called on Security Council members to jointly support mediation efforts.

According to the UN, at least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 others wounded since August, with children suffering disproportionately in the ongoing fighting.

"Dangerous escalation"

The representative of Yemen's internationally recognized government at the UN, Abdullah Ali Fadhel al-Saadi, told the Security Council that the Houthi threat is no longer "an internal Yemeni matter." Al-Saadi called on the council to adopt "decisive and practical measures" to curb the flow of financing, weapons and technology to the Iran-backed group, and to strengthen cooperation with the Yemeni government.

Al-Saadi thanked Riyadh, which backs the government, for "standing with the Yemeni people and their government, and for continuing to support our state institutions and economy."

The developments come as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said on October 10 that King Khalid International Airport, north of Riyadh, was hit by two attacks on October 9, killing three Saudi citizens.

Gulf and European countries have condemned the attack on the airport, with Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs calling it "unacceptable."

During the council meeting, Saudi Arabia's UN representative, Abdulaziz al-Wasil, said the body must address the "dangerous escalation" underway in Yemen. Al-Wasil said: "The rapid developments in Yemen and the continued escalation by the terrorist Houthi forces must be addressed by the Council."

Al-Wasil added that Riyadh will "not allow Yemen to be turned into a launchpad for threats to its security or to freedom of navigation."