None.

Saudi authorities issue and lift warnings for southwestern areas

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence has issued warnings alerting the public to potential danger in Khamis Mushait and the city of Abha.

The warnings were lifted a few minutes later, with no explanation provided.

Khamis Mushait and Abha are located in southwest Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Yemen.

Saudi Civil Defence issues and lifts second emergency alert for southwestern area

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued and lifted a warning about potential danger in the Khamis Mushait governorate for the second time today.

In a post on X, the Civil Defense instructed the public to avoid gathering and filming in the area. Khamis Mushait is in southwestern Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Yemen.

Earlier, Saudi authorities had issued and subsequently lifted similar warnings for southwestern areas, without providing further details.

Iran using Houthis to control Red Sea shipping routes, says Yemeni ambassador

Yemen’s ambassador to Qatar, Rajeh Badi, says Iran is behind the renewed fighting in his country and is using the Houthis to tighten its grip on Red Sea shipping routes.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Badi blamed the Houthis for initiating the fighting. What is under way, he said, is “a surprise Houthi offensive to seize strategic ground along the Red Sea”, intended to help Tehran control maritime routes.

Badi said the relationship between Iran and the Houthis was “no longer a secret”, describing the group as one of Iran’s key regional arms alongside Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq.

With other Iranian allies under pressure, he said, Tehran was “doubling down on the Houthi as its remaining lever” and had helped reignite the war after a lull of about five years.

He recalled the late former leader of Yemen, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, saying that if Iran controlled Bab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz, “it will not need a nuclear weapon”.

“Its grip over these two choke points would be more powerful than any nuclear arsenal,” Badi said. “Events have proved him right.”

Bab al-Mandeb and the Red Sea were under no control by the Houthis until Netanyahu began his genocidal war on Gaza; the Houthis vowed to stand with Palestine.

Netanyahu had to bare the consequences when he ignored numerous warnings prompting the Houthis to block the Red Sea for all vessels bound to Israeli ports. The blockade threatened the Israeli economy forcing the Israelis to respond.

However, Netanyahu was too busy in Gaza and Lebanon and couldn't focus on a third front. That's where the US stepped in by sending warships into the Red Sea, not to keep it open but to protect the Israeli economy.

In fact, the US brought Netanyahu's war to Yemen.

When the Israelis and Hamas reached a ceasefire, the Houthis ceased their activities.

The reignited war in Yemen has its root in the Houthi response to the Saudi-backed government's bombardment of Sana'a International Airport to prevent a passenger plane from landing that had a Ansarullah Houthi delegation on board.

The delegation returned from the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the bombardment.  In response to the bombardment, they attacked the Saudi side of the border.

Saudi aircraft reportedly launch 40 strikes in several districts in Yemen

Saudi war jets have launched around 40 air attacks targeting several districts in Taiz, al-Hodeida Governorate, al-Jawf, and Marib, according to Yemeni media reports.

Saba News Agency, which is controlled by the Houthis, said there have been strikes in the al-Salif and Al-Tuhayta districts, as well as Kamaran Island in Yemen.

Yemeni media network Al Masirah also reported 18 air strikes in the districts of al-Hazm, al-Ghayl, and al-Jubah.

There was no immediate confirmation of the air attacks from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Pakistan says Mecca alliance is ‘defensive’; no plan for expansion

The ⁠Mecca agreement – signed between Pakistan, Turkiye and ⁠Saudi Arabia last month – ⁠is a “defensive alliance” and there are no plans to expand ‌it at the moment, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says.

The statement came ⁠at a weekly briefing on how Pakistan ⁠plans to fulfill ⁠its obligations ⁠under the accord, after Saudi Arabia was attacked ‌by the Houthis.

Fighting escalates in Yemen; Houthi attacks trigger alerts in Saudi Arabia

Fighting has escalated across Yemen, with the country’s internationally recognized government claiming the Houthis killed three children in an artillery attack, while Saudi Arabia accused the Iran-backed group of continuing to target the kingdom’s infrastructure.

The claims came as warnings of impending attacks sounded in several Saudi provinces early on Thursday, with the Houthis promising to respond after accusing Riyadh of launching 54 air strikes over 12 hours.

The renewed hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government forces are unfolding amid intensifying regional tensions set off by the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. Pakistan warned on Tuesday that continued Houthi attacks could trigger the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a mutual security pact involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.

Iran-backed Houthis reportedly capture strategic Red Sea city of al-Macha

The Houthis have seized ⁠control of the crucial Red ‌Sea city of ak-Makha (Mocha) and are closing in on the strategic ⁠Bab al-Mandeb ⁠Strait, the Reuters news agency reports, citing three unnamed Yemeni government sources.

There was no official confirmation from the internationally recognised government.

The Houthis are nearing complete control of other coastal cities that sit directly along the strait as they push to take over the whole Yemeni Red Sea coast, the sources said.

Over the past week, fighting has escalated across Yemen, spilling beyond the country’s border into Saudi Arabia, where the Iran-backed group has targeted oil installations and wounded dozens of people.

If Houthis take al-Macha, ‘they would control pretty much all of Yemen’s coast on the Red Sea’

Wolfgang Pusztai, a defence analyst, says if reports of Houthi fighters capturing the Red Sea coastal city of al-Makha (Mocha) are correct, it would be a major development.

“They are advancing even more than the government forces,” he said, adding that if the Yemeni rebels are able to cut off the road between Taiz and al-Makha, it would be a “very significant blow against the government”.

“If they take over Mocha, they would control pretty much all of Yemen’s coast on the Red Sea. That means it would be easier to control Bab al-Mandeb.”

He noted that while the Strait of Hormuz is about 50km (30 miles) wide, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is much narrower at about 20km (12 miles).

“This means they could control it just with artillery; they wouldn’t need to even use missiles or drones to attack ships. This would certainly be a major blow to Saudi Arabian shipping and international shipping,” Pusztai said.

Houthis shoot down Saudi drone in Yemen’s Hajjah governorate

Houthis in Yemen say they shot down a Saudi Karial armed reconnaissance drone operating in Hajjah governorate airspace.

It was “downed using appropriate weaponry”, said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree on Telegram.

The Houthis, who control large parts of northwest Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces last week. They also attacked Saudi territory, wounding dozens.

Pressure on Iran from Saudi allies unlikely to stop Houthi advance in Yemen

Pressure on Tehran to rein in the Houthi rebels is unlikely to change much on the ground because the group fights its own battles and is already largely cut off from outside supplies, says security and defence policy analyst Wolfgang Pusztai.

Iran has “a huge influence on the Houthis”, he told Al Jazeera, “but the Houthis are not only proxies of Iran. They are fighting also their own war”.

Pakistan has reportedly warned Iran to restrain the group and says its defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye could become operational if Houthi attacks on Saudi territory persist.

Joint pressure from Pakistan and Turkiye “will certainly impress the leaders in Tehran” but the practical effect would be “rather limited”, Pusztai said.

Houthi-controlled territory is “already pretty much sealed off from support from outside” and the group has shown over decades that it can fight with what it already has in terms of weaponry.

“At the very end, the Houthis have their own will,” Pusztai added.

Houthis seize strategic city of al-Makha in ‘stunning’ blow in Yemen

The Houthis have achieved a stunning victory against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces west of Taiz.

They’ve been battling it out over the past nine days. The Houthis were trying to push west of Taiz because their main goal, their main prize, was the takeover of the city of al-Makha (Mocha) and also the Red Sea coastline.

It gives the Houthis full advantage to prevent ships from crossing Bab al-Mandeb and also, more importantly, the ability to cut off three main supply lines to the government in the south of the country.

Those have been officially taken by the Houthis. It is only a matter of time before the Houthis officially declare their full takeover of the city of al-Makha.

Sources on the ground are saying, quite frankly, that the city has been taken, that government forces have fully withdrawn all of their military divisions from al-Makha. At the moment, it does seem like a decisive victory for the Houthis in western Taiz.

Houthis, Yemeni forces engaged in fierce battles: Why each front matters

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthi group have been firing missiles, drones and other weapons as they engage in intense fighting on multiple fronts in the country’s north, west, and central regions.

At least 194 people have been killed and 880 wounded over the past two weeks of fighting in parts of Taiz, the western coast, al-Jawf, Marib, and Dhalea, according to aid agencies.

Iran-backed Houthis – also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God) – have intensified attacks on the coastal district of al-Makha (Mocha) on the western coast to gain a foothold in the Red Sea – a vital shipping lane.

Saudi-backed government forces, meanwhile, have battled to expand in Taiz and boost their control of Marib, an oil-producing region in the north.

Houthi rebels taking Mocha city ‘a turning point in the war’ in Yemen

Yemen’s Iran-backed Ansar Allah (supporters of God) Houthis seizing the strategic port city of Mocha is a crucial development in the conflict as it cuts off a significant number of Yemeni troops from the region, an analyst says.

The impact is also significant as it makes it more difficult for government forces to receive weaponry through its port, defence analyst Wolfgang Pusztai told Al Jazeera.

“This is a turning point right now in the war. This might lead to a breakdown of the government forces in the southern part of Yemen,” he said.

Pro-government fighters are not fully united and that may have played a role in the Houthi advance.

“There are factions who are more on the side of Saudi Arabia and others who are more on the side of the United Arab Emirates, and the port of Mocha was the last harbour fully under control of the internationally recognised government,” said Pusztai.

Significant developments, he said, will be seen in the next days.

Iran cannot ‘switch the Houthis on or off’

Pakistan has warned Iran to rein in Yemen’s Ansar Allah Houthis, saying the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement could become operational if Saudi territory continues to be hit.

However, Pakistani military intervention in Yemen’s war remains highly unlikely, defence policy analyst Wolfgang Pusztai said.

“We will certainly not see the deployment of Pakistani forces to Yemen. Saudi Arabia’s air force is powerful enough to handle all these air strikes that are required in Yemen,” he said.

If Turkey and Pakistan try to influence Tehran to use its influence over the Houthis, it might lead to some restraint but will not end the armed group’s offensive, Pusztai added.

“Tehran certainly cannot switch on or off the Houthis,” he said.

UK condemns Houthi attacks, urges immediate ceasefire in Yemen

The United Kingdom has condemned the Houthis for resuming fighting in Yemen and for recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the targeting of civilian and energy infrastructure.

“The Houthis bear full responsibility for this crisis,” said a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, adding that the renewed fighting is worsening humanitarian suffering in impoverished Yemen.

Houthi attacks also threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and vital trade routes through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Britain said Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government have the right to defend their security and sovereignty in accordance with international law, and called on the Houthis to “cease their attacks and escalation immediately”.

Houthis reportedly seize Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea

Witnesses told the AFP news agency they saw Houthi forces entering the strategically important port city of Mocha on Thursday while chanting “death to America, death to Israel”.

An unnamed military source said the Houthis seized Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea “after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters”.

Fighting in Yemen since last week has killed at least 500 people, mostly combatants, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources. Nearly 20,000 people have fled their homes, said the International Organization for Migration.

‘Robust response’ expected from Saudi Arabia after Houthi strikes

Abdulaziz Alghashian, a Saudi foreign policy analyst, has described the rapid Houthi advance in southern Yemen as “concerning, it’s disappointing but maybe not overly surprising.”

The Houthis’ taking control over Mocha wasn’t necessarily caused by “the strength of the Houthis but probably a discombobulation of the anti-Houthi forces”, he said.

When asked about Saudi Arabia’s next steps, he replied: “In my opinion there are going to be two things from the Saudi point of view. There is one about how the Saudis will treat the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia directly. This is where I think there will be a robust response, more of a measured, tit-for-tat response. The Saudis don’t want to enter into a long winded campaign.”

Alghashian added “when it comes to maritime security, this is where the Saudis will begin to operate within multilateral frameworks”.

War in Yemen: How did we get here?

The Houthis triggered the return to hostilities after years of relative calm in July when they let an Iranian plane land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government retaliated by striking the airport in the capital Sanaa, an attack the Houthis blamed on its sponsor, Saudi Arabia.

The ongoing exchanges risk returning Yemen to a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people and sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises between 2015 to 2022.

The Houthis – after seizing Sanaa and forcing the government to rebase in southern Aden – fought a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 2022.

What we have noticed:

The Saudi Arabia warned the Yemeni government, that a plane carrying a Ansarulluah delegation that returned from the funeral of  Iran's supreme leader, was going to land on Sana'a International Airport.

The Saudi-Backed government send a warplane to bomb the landing strip to prevent the passenger plane from landing. The plane was forced to land in Hodeidah.

There are questions to answer:

• Which airliner did the delegation used to leave for Khamenei's funeral.
• If that plane was also Iranian, through which airspace flew it to Iran?
• And, if the plane flew through Yemeni airspace, was it noticed by the Saudi air traffic control?
• If so, what has been done when the plane flying to Iran was spotted?

Saudi crude transit faces new threat after Houthi Red Sea gains

Saudi Arabia’s crude and condensate loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu — a key port to bypass the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Strait of Hormuz — have rebounded this month, having hit a six-month low in August, according to ship-tracking ⁠⁠⁠⁠data from Kpler and Vortexa.

However, Thursday’s rapid gains by Houthi forces along the Red Sea coast threaten Saudi exports.

Yanbu loadings increased to 3.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in September from 3.2 million bpd in August – the lowest since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, according to Vortexa.

Kpler ‌‌‌‌estimated lower loadings at 2.9 million bpd in September, compared with just 1.5 million bpd a month earlier.

Yanbu loadings declined in late July ‌‌‌‌and ‌‌‌‌August because of intensifying attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Houthis ‘ready to talk’ with Saudi-backed forces who put down their arms

Hussain al-Bukhaiti, a pro-Houthi journalist and commentator based in Sanaa, says the capture of Mocha reflects the rebels’ plan to “recapture all of Yemen”.

“It’s not about – as some people say – the advance towards Bab al-Mandeb Strait because they want to control it. They are in control of the Red Sea without being exactly in the strait,” he saida.

“They have decided – when the Saudis broke the ceasefire two months ago by targeting the Sanaa airport – to take up arms and blockade Saudi Arabia and then advance to liberate all of Yemen.”

He added, “it’s not about Bab al-Mandeb, they will continue to liberate every corner in Yemen”.

“But let me make it clear: Ansar Allah [Houthis] have put out an initiative to all Saudi-backed forces. Anyone who wants to talk and put down their arms, they are ready to talk with them,” said al-Bukhaiti.

Yemeni forces reportedly ‘abandoned their military positions’

The Ansar Allah Houthis having control of the port of Mocha means they also control the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. This gives the Houthis the eyes, the ears and the pressure to monitor international trade. Bab al-Mandeb is responsible for 10-12 percent of global trade.

Secondly, this also gives them the ability to block any Saudi military reinforcements to the internationally recognized Yemeni government that come through the southern port of Hodeidah.

Thirdly, this also means they will be able to cut off the three main supply lines to government forces stationed in the south of the country and in the central provinces of al-Bayda and al-Dhale.

As to where the Houthis go from here, according to what we are seeing on the ground, they’re looking to take full control of the entirety of the western coastline, and that includes gaining more territory further south.

We can expect the Houthis will try to capture more land from the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which, according to reports, has basically abandoned its military positions west of Taiz and south of Mocha.

Still unclear if Houthis can hold captured strategic port of Mocha

Rashid al-Mohanadi, an analyst at the Center for International Policy Research, says it’s too early to say whether the Houthis are in full control of the key port city of Mocha on Yemen’s west coast.

“The nature of land warfare in Yemen is based on highly mobile formations. They went into Mocha and, according to the latest information, they are still there. But the real question is whether they can hold it for the next 48 to 72 hours,” al-Mohanadi said.

Government forces possess FPV and suicide drones, “so we might see developments tonight”, he added.

Should government forces fail to regain control of the strategic city, it would be considered their biggest tactical loss to date, al-Mohanadi said.

“If the Houthis hold on to Mocha, this would provide the group with a staging ground to launch strikes at the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” he added.

On the possibility of retaliation by Saudi Arabia, al-Mohanadi said there have been several diplomatic exchanges between the kingdom and regional actors – including Pakistan and Turkiye – suggesting Riyadh may be “weighing its options”, especially after Houthi attacks targeted energy and civilian infrastructure and wounded dozens of people in recent days.

“I wouldn’t give it a zero probability that the Saudis conduct some air operations in retaliation for the Houthi strikes.”

World Food Program chief warns war in Yemen could impact global food prices

Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Program, says fighting near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait threatens to increase suffering for both the people of Yemen and the global community.

“I was there last week and warned further disruption would raise food prices, deepen hardship, and add more obstacles for aid. Yemen’s people suffer most, and the impact is global. The world must step up with solutions,” said Skau.

On Tuesday, the UN agency released a report warning that fighting raging in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Black Sea increased the risk of “a triple chokepoint that could push tens of millions more people into hunger” by raising energy prices and reducing the flow of foodstuffs and fertilizers.

Houthi official says all prisoners ‘liberated’ on the west coast

The head of the Houthi prisoners’ affairs committee says armed forces were able to “liberate all our prisoners” held by government soldiers on the west coast.

Abdul Qader al-Murtada said they were held in a prison run by Tariq Saleh, the Yemeni general leading the government-aligned National Resistance Forces.

His comments come after the Houthis claimed control over the coastal city of Mocha, about 80km (50 miles) from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Operations stop when attacks on Yemen end and blockade is lifted: Houthis

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam says ongoing operations will stop when attacks on Yemen end and the blockade is lifted.

The rebels’ offensive is “limited to specified targets and are defensive”, the spokesperson said in a social media post.

The comments come after rapid territorial gains by Houthi fighters overnight on Yemen’s west coast, with the key port city of Mocha captured and the rebels reportedly moving south against government troops.

Houthis say west coast region ‘stabilised’ after week of heavy fighting

The head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council says the situation on Yemen’s west coast “has stabilized following the conclusion of strikes against Saudi reinforcements”.

An amnesty decree for Saudi-backed government troops has been implemented, according to Mahdi al-Mashat’s statement reported by the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.

Houthi fighters captured territory on the Red Sea coast overnight, including the strategically important port city of Mocha.

Houthis says Red Sea navigation remains safe for global shipping

The Houthis’ Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre says the Red Sea is safe for all global shipping companies – but their ban on Saudi ships remains in place, reports the Yemeni news agency, Saba.

The Houthis have repeatedly carried out attacks on commercial vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait since July, accusing Yemen’s Saudi-backed government of blockading areas under their control in the north.

Navigation and trade in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb remain safe: Houthi spokesperson

Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam says that navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb strait “remain safe and uninterrupted”.

Freedom of navigation and international trade “will not be threatened”, Abdul Salam said in a social media post.

No territorial ambitions in any neighbouring country: Houthi spokesman

“Yemen harbors no territorial ambitions regarding any neighboring country,” said Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam.

The actions of Houthi forces in the western coastal areas seek to “assert Yemeni sovereignty and address the challenges and ambitions that threaten civil peace,” he posted on social media.

Yemeni Leadership Council head says changes to situation near Bab al-Mandeb not only a Yemeni matter

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, says Iran is seeking to give the Houthis the ability to exert influence on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.

“The attempt to change the military situation near Bab al-Mandeb cannot be treated as a Yemeni matter,” al-Alimi said.

“Any threat to Bab al-Mandeb extends directly to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and global trade,” he added.

Protecting Yemen’s coast and restoring state control over its land and waterways is a “shared international interest”, al-Alimi said.

Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of attacking Taiz province

The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of launching strikes on the south-western province of Taiz, after they seized the key city of Mocha.

“The Saudi enemy launched 10 strikes on the Dhubab district in western Taiz,” the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel reported.

UNSC meeting requested by UK, Bahrain on Yemen

An urgent and open meeting has been requested by the UK and Bahrain at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to discuss Yemen-Saudi Arabia attacks, our correspondent in New York reports.

UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, is scheduled to brief by video, and all 15 UNSC members will speak. Yemen and Saudi Arabia have asked to address the Council.

According to our correspondent, the test is whether a UNSC, which failed to reach consensus and was deadlocked on the Strait of Hormuz in April, can produce anything on a second checkpoint, or whether Russia and China link this to Iran and block potential UNSC action.

No resolution is on the table for a vote.

Diplomatic solutions unlikely to resolve Yemen conflict, analyst says

Hassan Ahmadian, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, about the latest on the Houthis, said what we’re seeing now as the Houthis seize the important port city of Mocha is directly linked to the US-Israel war on Iran.

The Houthis, under a long siege by Saudi Arabia, were looking for the right moment to move against it, and this war gave them exactly that, he said.

The group also believed that global tensions, such as rising oil prices, would play into their hands, hence their calculations to blockade the Bab al-Mandeb and to start the southwards offensive, Ahmadian added.

The lecturer cast doubt on reports that Iran was actively backing the Houthis financially, noting that Tehran is facing constraints of its own.

So might the latest escalation trigger the defence pact that Riyadh earlier formed with Pakistan and Turkiye? Ahmadian said that’s unlikely.

“We should see if Turkiye and Pakistan are really willing to give Saudi a hand because it’s not an ideal situation to get involved in a protracted war in Yemen for any country,” he said.

As to how this ends, only the battlefield might be able to tell, Ahmadian noted. There’s likely not going to be a diplomatic resolution amidst the intense fighting happening right now, he concluded.

Yemeni government forces warn civilians against using Taiz-Mocha road

Yemeni government forces have warned civilians against using the Taiz-Mocha road, a key supply route captured by the Houthis, until further notice.

“We urge people to stay away from Houthi forces’ gatherings and equipment on the Taiz-Mocha road. We will use all weapons to target any Houthi movement within a range we have designated as a kill zone,” a spokesperson for the forces said.

Earlier, the Houthis announced they had seized control of the strategic port city of Mocha from government forces.

US in ‘continuous dialogue’ with Saudi Arabia, Yemeni government, official says

A senior US official says that Washington is in “continuous dialogue” with Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government over “regional stability” when asked about Houthi gains along the Red Sea today.

“The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests – such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea – while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges,” the official said.

UN envoy calls on Houthis to cease attacks in Yemen and Saudi

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has called on the Houthis to cease their attacks in Yemen and across the border into Saudi Arabia.

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, Grundberg also called on the rebel group to cease attacks and threats against commercial vessels.

“I will continue to engage the government of Yemen and Ansar Allah [the Houthis] to identify feasible ways forward and to keep open options for off-ramps,” Grundberg said.

The Houthis announced they had seized control of the strategic port city of Mocha from government forces, days after launching a large-scale offensive along the Red Sea coast southwest of Yemen.

Pakistan’s UN representative reiterates ‘complete solidarity’ with Saudi Arabia

Pakistan’s representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, says his country “condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible attacks carried out by the Houthis against civilian and economic targets” in Saudi Arabia.

“These attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the kingdom and undermine efforts for a peaceful and durable resolution of the conflict in Yemen,” he said, reiterating Pakistan’s “complete solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.

“The situation in Yemen has entered a deeply alarming and dangerous phase. Sharp escalation of hostilities across multiple front lines, continued Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, attacks against civilian and economic targets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation are a matter of grave concern,” he said.

Pakistan urges swift diplomatic solution to Yemen combat

Pakistan’s UN representative says the escalating conflict in Yemen will have “potentially far-reaching consequences” for both the country and the wider region.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said there was an “urgent need to prevent further escalation and preserve the space for diplomacy.” Pakistan has been a key mediator in the ongoing Iran-US conflict and signed a mutual defense pact last month with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, an adversary of the Iran-backed Yemeni group.

“The relative calm maintained since 2022 was the result of painstaking diplomatic efforts. It must not be allowed to unravel. A return to hostilities would further compound the suffering of the Yemeni people and risk drawing the country deeper into wider regional tensions,” he said.

“The immediate priority must therefore be de-escalation and restoration of a credible political process. Pakistan therefore supports an inclusive Yemeni-led, Yemeni-owned political process under the United Nations’ auspices.”

Support enabling Houthis must be halted: Saudi UN representative

Saudi Arabia’s United Nations representative Abdulaziz al-Wasil says that the international community must work to halt support that enables the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Al-Wasil told a UN Security Council meeting that the international community must work to halt “all forms of support enabling the Houthi militia to continue its attacks and threaten regional security, as well as international navigation and trade.”

“The international community cannot call for de-escalation while simultaneously allowing the continued flow of support that enables this militia to persist in its hostile and criminal behavior,” Saudi’s envoy added.

Earlier today, the Houthis announced the capture of the port city of Mocha from Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

The Houthis afterwards accused Saudi Arabia of launching strikes on the south-western province of Taiz, while Saudi officials said that the Houthis have been targeting civilians in southern Saudi Arabia since Tuesday, when at least 73 people were wounded.

Yemeni UN representative warns Houthi escalation threatening regional stability

The Yemeni government’s representative to the UN, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, says the region is witnessing a “new wave of escalation led by the terrorist Houthi militia” not only against Yemenis but also “against neighbouring countries, civilians and civilian objects”.

“The Yemeni government has repeatedly warned that treating each wave of these attacks as an isolated incident and then reverting to a policy of containment while awaiting the next attack will not produce peace. Rather, it will grant the militia further time to rearm, develop their capacity, and expand the scope of their threat,” he told the Security Council.

He explained that the Republic of Yemen condemns in the strongest terms the Houthis’ renewed attacks against Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed its “full solidarity” with Riyadh and rejection of any part of its country being used to launch attacks.

“Yemen affirms the right of Saudi Arabia to defend itself and to protect its sovereignty,” he added.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been and remains the principal partner of the Yemeni people.”

Saudi to take ‘all measures to deter Houthi attacks’: Saudi UN representative

Saudi Arabia’s UN representative Abdulaziz al-Wasil says that his country will take “all necessary measures to deter Houthi attacks”.

“We will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to deter Houthi attacks and protect our security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law,” he told a UN Security Council meeting.

The Saudi representative said that Saudi Arabia supports Yemeni-led political solutions that “meets the aspirations of the brotherly Yemeni people for security, stability and prosperity”.

The diplomat called on the Security Council to send a message “that the targeting of the Kingdom must cease, military escalation within Yemen must stop and threats to international navigation must come to an end.”

Yemeni UN representative says ‘clear attempt’ by Houthis to export Iranian pressures

Yemen’s UN representative says the drones and missiles used by the Houthis to target Saudi Arabia and threaten shipping in the Red Sea “emanate from a single military structure that operates outside the institutions of the Yemeni state, and is militarily and technically supported by the Iranian terrorist regime”.

“In the Red Sea, the Houthi militia has continued to use missiles, drones and unmanned boats to threaten ships and maritime routes. Its recent attempts to advance towards the west coast and the Bab al-Mandeb strait reveal that its objective extends beyond local gains to acquiring a greater capacity to threaten one of the world’s most vital trade arteries,” Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi told the Council.

He added that the region has already witnessed Iranian attacks and threats.

“We see in this a clear attempt to export the cost of the pressures facing Iran onto the countries of the region and the world, and to transform the security of energy, maritime routes and supply chains into tools of pressure and extortion,” he said.

Houthi advance on Red Sea endangers Saudi bid to sidestep Strait of Hormuz

Shock Houthi gains on a strategic swath of Yemen’s Red Sea coast may endanger their Saudi adversary’s bid to shift exports away from the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely been closed by Iran, according to Maged Al-Madhaji, chairperson and cofounder of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies.

“The fall of Mocha and the expansion of Houthi control to Bab al-Mandeb and the surrounding islands marks a shift from threatening shipping through sporadic attacks to exerting sustained pressure, at a lower cost, on one of the world’s most important trade and energy arteries,” Al-Madhaji said. “Control of Mayun [island] in particular gives this shift a strategic dimension that will be difficult to contain.”

“Regionally, this gives the Houthis and Iran greater leverage over shipping and insurance costs, threatens the viability of Saudi Arabia’s reliance on Red Sea ports as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, and brings the Houthis closer to the African coast, opening up greater opportunities to strengthen their ties with [Somalia’s] al-Shabab and smuggling networks.”

US military lacks capacity to blockade Bab al-Mandeb Strait as Yemen’s Houthis close in

Former US Ambassador to Algeria and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Henry Ensher, says Yemen’s Houthis could take control of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and that the US lacks the capacity to stop it from happening.

Henry Ensher said that the Iran-backed group wants to at least threaten the important trade route for its own purposes and as a consequence of its alliance with Tehran. He said he was “surprised that this hasn’t happened” before.

“It may well be that the Iranians and the Houthis were just building their capabilities before they made their move,” he said.

He said the US, which has committed 20 ships to enforcing its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, would “hope that somebody else – the Saudis and their new alliance partners, potentially the Israelis – will take care of this particular problem,” he said.

“The idea that they [the US military] could force open or conduct a full blockade somewhere else starts to pull forces away from other theatres and really potentially creates a big problem,” he said.

“What the military is in the business of is providing the president options. And the more of its capabilities it uses, the fewer options it can present.”

Ghalibaf says Yemeni people will ‘triumph’ after Houthis capture Mocha

Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has backed Yemen’s Houthis in a post on X.

“The brave Yemeni people will certainly triumph,” Ghalibaf wrote.

The statement comes as the Houthis have seized the crucial Red Sea city of Mocha, expanding control over the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, one of the world’s most important trade routes.