13 August 2026
What you need to
know
- The Houthis took de facto control of
Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, in 2014, with the UN brokering
a landmark truce
in 2022 - 19.5 million people required humanitarian
assistance and protection in 2025, with Yemen remaining
among the world’s most severe
humanitarian and development crises - Cross-border
fighting resumed and the Houthis announced a naval blockade
against Saudi-linked ships last month - The Security
Council issued a statement
on 7 August expressing concern about heightened tensions in
the region following the United States and Israel’s
February attack and ongoing war against Iran and condemned
Houthi missile strikes against Saudi Arabia and commercial
vessels - Houthi forces struck a
commercial ship on 11 August, killing six people and
injuring others in the Bab al-Mandab Strait
In
brief – Yemen
The facts: Yemen is at
the greatest risk of sliding into large-scale conflict since
2022, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the
Security Council, as Houthi attacks on commercial shipping
threaten global trade and the country’s fragile truce
brokered four years ago. A recent strike killed four crew
members, while rising regional tensions are squeezing trade
and energy flows.
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The impact:
Under-Secretary-Generalfor Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned
that the humanitarian toll is already severe: 6 million
Yemenis facing deprivation, while the UN appeal is only 20
per cent funded.
The call to action:
Council members called on the parties to
de-escalate immediately, restore negotiations and protect
maritime security in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
and the Gulf of Aden. Several condemned the Iran-backed
Houthi attacks. Yemen’s representative accused the group
of turning its territory into a platform for Iran’s
militia. Mr. Grundberg urged a negotiated off-ramp and
economic de-escalation, while Mr. Fletcher pressed donors
for predictable funding to prevent further humanitarian
cuts.
A full summary of today’s meeting is available
on our website –
https://press.un.org/en/2026/sc16431.doc.htm
Yemen at
risk of spiraling backwards, Ambassador warns
“We
convene at a delicate and pivotal juncture in Yemen’s
history, following weeks of rapid and dangerous
escalation,” said Ambassador Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi
of Yemen.
For more than a decade, the Yemeni people
have paid a tragic price resulting from a war waged by the
terrorist Houthi militias, who have chosen chaos and war
over peace, sectarianism over equal rights and the “agenda
of the Iranian regime” over the well-being of their own
people.
After countless violations over recent years,
the Houthis are now attempting to establish an air bridge
between Iran and Sana’a by which to transfer deadly arms
and munitions.
They are increasingly attacking
commercial vessels in the Red Sea and vital port
infrastructure – which recently led to the deaths of
several seafarers – and are using drones to target civilians
in neighbouring countries.
“[The Houthis] have
turned the territory of Yemen into a platform for the
[Iranian Revolutionary National Guard] militia […]
dragging Yemen into yet more insecurity and instability,”
he stressed.
He welcomed the Council’s recent
statement of support for the legitimate Government and its
right over its national airspace.
Condemnations must
be coupled with tangible actions – including efforts to
halt the smuggling of weapons and military technology to the
Houthis.
“Peace in Yemen requires addressing the
roots of the conflict, ending the coup, restoring State
institutions and complying with the will of the Yemeni
people,” he stressed.
Arab coalition overreacted to
13 July incident, Moscow says
“Everything began
with the landing of civilian aircraft in Sana’a on the 3rd
of July and in Hudaydah on the 13th of July,” said Deputy
Permanent Representative Maria Zabolotskaya of the Russian
Federation.
These flights should have been coordinated
in advance with the official Yemeni
authorities.
“However, the very harsh reaction to
them from the Arab coalition, in the form of bombings of the
runway at Sana’a International Airport, seems excessive,”
she said.
She agreed on the need to unconditionally
ensure the freedom of maritime navigation and condemned
threats to commercial shipping.
However, the prolonged
stagnation in the Yemeni peace process forced the Houthis to
be “dragged into a regional confrontation initiated by the
US and Israel against the Islamic Republic of
Iran”.
She urged an immediate resumption of
negotiations on the Yemeni settlement road map and the
international community to support Yemen “instead of
attaching additional conditions to the launch of a political
process”.
Context: What is the 2022 Yemen
truce?
After the Houthi militia seized Yemen’s
capital, Sana’a, in 2014, conflict ensued with the
internationally recognized Yemeni Government until the UN
brokered a truce in 2022.
That landmark
two-month-long agreement has since been renewed, with the UN
Security Council hearing updates via regular
briefings.
Here are highlights of the original 2022
truce:
- A halt to all offensive ground, aerial
and maritime military operations inside and outside of Yemen
and a freeze in current military positions on the
ground - Entry of 18 fuel ships during the two-month
truce to the ports of Hudaydah - Two commercial
flights per week in and out of Sana’a Airport during the
two-month truce to Jordan and Egypt - Once the truce
comes into effect, the UN Special Envoy will invite the
parties to a meeting to agree on opening roads in Taiz and
other governorates to facilitate the movement of civilian
men, women and children, benefiting from the atmosphere of
the truce - Engagement of the parties with the Special
Envoy on proposals for next steps towards ending the
war
The parties had also signed the Stockholm
Agreement, Hudaydah
Agreement and the Prisoners
Exchange Agreement.
Read the full 2022 truce here
–
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/en/document-library/united-nations-initiative-for-a-two-month-truce
Context:
Deadly ship attack threatens global trade
A strike on
a merchant ship off the southern coast of Yemen that
reportedly killed several seafarers on Tuesday threatens to
reignite deep concerns about global trade, amid the ongoing
Iran-United States war that has choked shipping in the
Strait of Hormuz.
Key points
- Red Sea is a
vital global trade route - Even greater uncertainty
for shipping - Seafarers must be protected, says the
UN International Maritime Organization
(IMO)
