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Speakers in Security Council Urge De-escalation as Renewed Hostilities Threaten Fragile Hope for Peace in Yemen

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9954th Meeting (AM)

SC/16114
9 July 2025

Renewed maritime hostilities by the Houthis in the Red Sea and retaliatory Israeli air strikes have sparked "a deeply volatile and unpredictable period" in Yemen and the wider region, a top United Nations official warned the Security Council today, urging immediate de-escalation.

While welcoming the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, cited multiple missile attacks by Ansar Allah (the Houthis) against Israel during the reporting period. He further voiced grave concern over attacks on two commercial ships this week in the Red Sea, resulting in civilian loss of life and potential environmental damage — the first such attacks in over seven months. Noting that Israeli air strikes in response hit Sana'a and the ports of Hudaydah, Ras Issa and Salif, he emphasized: "Freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be safeguarded, and civilian infrastructure must never become a target of conflict."

Above all, Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country. A military solution "remains a dangerous illusion that risks deepening Yemen's suffering," he stated, calling on both sides to explore peaceful avenues, as "time is not on our side". Meanwhile, the economy "has, in effect, become the most active front line", he noted. Food insecurity is tragically increasing, with the threat of famine. Welcoming the opening of the Al Dhale'a Road, he called on the parties to move forward on tangible measures towards full, timely payment of salaries, increased purchasing power, and improved service delivery.

Calling for de-escalation along the front lines and parameters for a nationwide ceasefire, he noted his office continues active engagement to build trust between the parties nationally and locally.

UN Explores Ways to Deliver Aid amid Funding Decline

"Every day without progress prolongs the suffering for millions of people," warned Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. The food security crisis in Yemen has been steadily accelerating since late 2023, with more than 17 million people in Yemen now going hungry. "Over 1 million children under the age of five are suffering from life-threatening acute malnutrition," he said. While global funding is plummeting, he noted this can be turned around with Council and donor support.

Humanitarian colleagues on the ground "are doing everything possible to save lives with the funding we have", he said. Cholera has been kept in check, while an agreement has been reached between local authorities on both sides of the front line in Taïz Governorate to restore access to water for tens of thousands of households after years of deprivation. Moreover, the reopening of a key road between Aden and Sana'a has reconnected communities, with work under way to clear unexploded ordnance along this route. Calling for increased funding to scale up emergency food support, he further stressed that detained United Nations and non-governmental organization colleagues "must be immediately released, without conditions".

Words of Sympathy Not Enough

Summer Nasser al-Yafai, Chief Executive Officer of Yemen Aid, noted her humanitarian and development organization works on the ground to provide comprehensive, sustainable support to communities "affected by a war that has devastated the country for more than a decade." A Yemeni-American who relocated to Yemen in 2022 "to be close to my people", she stressed that millions are enduring unbearable darkness, hunger and despair — with electricity cut for more than 20 hours a day, and deadly summer heat becoming a daily threat.

Meanwhile, the local currency continues to collapse, "markets are boiling with unaffordable prices" and public sector salaries have been suspended for months, leaving families at the mercy of poverty and hunger. Further, deliberate targeting of commercial and humanitarian vessels by the Houthi militia have threatened shipments of essential supplies.

While holding Houthi militias fully responsible for the safety of detained colleagues and calling for their release, she commended growing cooperation with the internationally recognized Yemeni Government. However, the Presidential Leadership Council faces obstacles, and the international community must help. "My people really do not need words of sympathy alone," she stressed, calling for a just, sustainable peace and enhanced long-term humanitarian funding.

Condemnations of Houthis Maritime Attacks

In the ensuing debate, delegations, including the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom, condemned the "reckless" Houthi attacks on commercial ships, with the latter citing the continued smuggling of weapons into Yemen as a clear violation of the arms embargo — calling on the international community to redouble efforts to enforce compliance, disrupt the illegal weapons flow and support the critical role of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism. Denmark's representative further voiced concern over the reported growing links between the Houthis and non-State actors such as Al-Qaida.

Greece's delegate recalled that on 6 and 7 July, Houthis launched two "consecutive, prolonged and sophisticated" attacks against the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carriers M/V Magic Seas and Eternity C — sinking both ships with the loss of three crew members. The attacks were launched "with great ferocity and with the use of advanced weaponry, including drones, RPG-type anti-tank rockets and anti-ship missiles, thus pointing to well-trained and fully equipped forces", he said, calling for the immediate and unconditional cessation of Houthis' violence against the lives of seafarers and international shipping. China's representative joined the call in urging the Houthis to "respect the navigation rights of commercial vessels of all countries" and to ensure the safety of maritime routes in line with international law.

Time to 'Sunset' UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement?

On the UN's role, the United States' representative called on Member States to ensure the Yemen Panel of Experts continues to function, noting: "Unfortunately, one member of this Council continues to impede the appointment of the arms expert to the Panel" — obstructionism that empowers Iran's defiance of the UN arms embargo. She hailed the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for improving its efficiency and effectiveness through physical inspection of 100 per cent of containerized cargo, urging Member States to donate directly, as it only needs $11 million annually to operate at full capacity. The UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), however, "has outlived its usefulness" and its mandate to "lead a non-functioning committee", she stated, calling for the Council to "sunset" the Mission.

However, the Russian Federation's delegate stressed that maintaining the UN presence in Yemen is of particular importance — a task successfully carried out by UNMHA, which has for many years been a stabilizing factor on the ground, contributing to de-escalation around the ports on the Red Sea coast. The work of the UN allows maintaining a minimum level of interaction with the opposing parties, which is of key importance, at a minimum, to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access. Therefore, extending the Mission's mandate at this stage is a necessary step "to prevent an inevitable degradation of the situation", he stated.

Links to Gaza Conflict

Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the representative of Somalia, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone, emphasized that tensions in the region are closely linked to the unresolved conflict in Gaza. Securing an immediate and permanent ceasefire will not only "alleviate the suffering in the Occupied Palestinian Territory", but "will prevent further escalations and spillovers across the region". While recent Houthi attacks on commercial shipping threaten global trade, renewed Israeli air strikes in Hudaydah Governorate "endanger the lives of civilians and raise the prospect of a wider conflict".

Taking up the humanitarian crisis, he warned of spreading malaria, cholera and dengue in Yemen, overwhelming the healthcare system, appealing for immediate international community support and unhindered humanitarian access. "Failure to act risks catastrophic consequences for millions," as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projects that between September 2025 and February 2026, 52 per cent of Yemenis are expected to face Phase 3 or above levels of food insecurity.

The representatives of Pakistan and Panama echoed those grave concerns, with France's delegate, alarmed by the risk of famine faced by 17 million Yemenis, demanding an end to obstruction of humanitarian aid and the "unconditional release of arbitrarily detained humanitarian workers". Meanwhile, deploring that "for a decade, the Yemeni people have been trapped in a vicious cycle of food insecurity", Slovenia's representative urged donors to step up with contributions to maintain life-saving programming.

Need to End Dual Power Structure, Restore State Authority over Entire Territory

For his part, the representative of Yemen noted that, 11 years into conflict, the "steadfast" Yemeni people face immense humanitarian and economic crises — while Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias persist in their intransigence, sustaining violence and war. Warning Iran against smuggling in weapons and military experts, he condemned the militarization of international waterways and "the reckless adventures" of Houthi militias which claim to seek peace but commit daily grave violations — including kidnapping UN and non-governmental organization staff, looting humanitarian aid and controlling "zones of repression and terror". Meanwhile, they continue to recruit thousands of children sent to the front lines, and plant hundreds of thousands of landmines. Their "repressive, racist project" against the Yemeni people will not go unpunished, he stressed.

Maritime, international and regional security can "only be achieved by restoring the Yemeni State and enabling the Government to exercise authority over all Yemeni territory and coastline and ending the Iranian-backed coup", he stressed. He cited the sinking of a vessel with 17,000 metric tons of highly dangerous ammonium nitrate, threatening a major environmental disaster with catastrophic economic and humanitarian consequences. Meanwhile, the Presidential Leadership Council is seeking to deliver electricity, pay civil servants, improve value of national currency, provide essential services and fight corruption — despite lack of oil exports — requiring the support of the international community.