UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks, unauthorized flights to Yemen

The UN Security Council has expressed concern over heightened tensions in Yemen and condemned missile attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia since July 13, as well as attacks on commercial vessels since July 22.

In a statement, council members also condemned aircraft landings, without approval from Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, at Sanaa International airport on July 3, and Hodeidah airport on July 13.

The council reiterated that Resolution 2216 prohibits the supply, sale, or transfer of arms, related materiel, and assistance to individuals and entities sanctioned over Yemen, including the Houthis.

It warned that the latest actions threaten regional security and freedom of navigation, risk further escalation and undermine efforts to secure peace in Yemen.

Council members urged the Houthis to refrain from further escalation and backed UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg’s efforts towards a negotiated, Yemeni-led political settlement.

If one leaves out the difference between the crisis in Palestine and the crisis in Yemen and look at whether there is a similarity, one will notice that occupation is in both cases the issue.

The Israelis occupy Gaza, the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and parts of Syria, while the Ansarullah Houthis are 'occupying' the western part of Yemen after having captured Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, forcing the Saudi-backed government to flee to the eastern part of Yemen.

We notice a double standard at the UNSC as it has been supposed to make the same conclusion but against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Southern Lebanon and Western Syria months, if not years ago.

Yemen hails UNSC statement as ‘true path to security’

Yemen’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has welcomed a statement by the UN Security Council condemning unauthorized landings of Iranian aircraft at Sanaa and Hodeidah airports as a violation of Yemeni sovereignty, as well as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels.

In a statement carried by Saba news agency, the ministry commended the UNSC’s emphasis on Yemen’s sovereignty, which it said reinforced the government’s position that restoring state institutions and allowing them to extend their authority is the “true path to achieving security and stability in Yemen”.

“The Ministry stressed that continued Houthi terrorist attacks and the threat they pose to regional security underscore the need for effective implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, halting the flow of weapons, technology, and military expertise to the militia, and strengthening support for Yemeni state institutions and their capacity to protect sovereignty and secure coasts, territorial waters, and international maritime routes,” the statement read.

Qatar welcomes UN Security Council’s condemnation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the UN Security Council statement condemning Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping.

The ministry expressed Qatar’s “full solidarity” with the kingdom and affirmed that Saudi security is an integral part of Qatar’s security.

It also expressed “full appreciation” for the council’s affirmation of the necessity to adhere to international law, particularly Resolution 2216, which prohibits military support for entities sanctioned for violations in Yemen’s civil war, including the Houthis.

Yemen Backs New Saudi Defense Pact with Turkiye and Pakistan

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has welcomed the defense pact signed by its primary backer, Saudi Arabia, with Turkiye and Pakistan, according to a statement by the Presidential Council.

The announcement came during a cabinet meeting that “praised the leadership role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in building responsible regional and international partnerships based on the principles of cooperation and mutual respect”.

The council also condemned recent attacks by the Houthis and promised to “end the coup backed by the Iranian regime”.

"... and promised to “end the coup backed by the Iranian regime”.

The Saudi-backed council promised to “end the coup backed by the #Iranian regime”.

There was never a coup but secession by forcing the regime to flee to the east. So, that regime is still in power but in East Yemen.

Marine traffic continues to drop in Bab al-Mandeb

In the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the southern Red Sea, 26 vessels made the crossing on Thursday, according to Kpler. On Tuesday, 32 ships made the crossing, while 22 crossed on Wednesday.

Some 70 ships used to cross Bab al-Mandeb daily before the Iran-backed Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi ships.

OIC condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s Najran region

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Najran region, which injured 11 civilians.

In a statement, the OIC’s General Secretariat “called on the international community to assume its responsibilities in confronting these blatant attacks, which violate international laws and norms and threaten regional peace and security”.

Houthis vow to continue strikes against ‘Saudi proxies’ as attacks target Hadramout, Marib

The Houthis, according to reports, have launched at least 12 missile strikes targeting both the eastern province of Hadramout and the province of Marib.

These are two of the Yemeni government’s main strongholds that have come under attack over the past couple of days by the Yemeni group. According to Ansar Allah (Houthi) officials, these missile and drone strikes are going to continue against those they call Saudi allies or Saudi proxies on Yemeni soil.

This is the accusation being directed at the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. According to its latest statements, the Houthi movement believes the government is coordinating with Saudi Arabia for a potential military ground offensive against Ansar Allah (Houthi) positions.

Of course, the Yemeni government has also issued a couple of statements, saying that the only way this conflict will end is if the Ansar Allah Sanaa government relinquishes its power and its grip on the areas currently under its control.

Most Yemeni provinces remain under Ansar Allah (Houthi) control, and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government wants to leverage Saudi support to try to topple them from power.

Yemen’s military says it carried out ‘operations’ against Houthis

Yemen’s military has carried out operations against Houthi forces and equipment, the army’s spokesman says.

In a video broadcast by Yemen TV, the spokesperson said the action was in response to repeated Houthi attacks against government forces and civilians.

He said the operations had achieved their objectives and warned that continued Houthi attacks would be met with a military response “without leniency”.

Yemen heading towards a major new battle

A sharp escalation in Houthi attacks on forces aligned with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has raised fears that the country could be heading towards its biggest round of internal fighting in years.

Houthi missiles and drones struck military positions in Marib and Hadramout on Thursday, killing at least 30 government soldiers and injuring 15. The attacks were the first of their kind in years and come as tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have also intensified.

Marib could become a particular flashpoint. The oil- and gas-rich province remains a key government stronghold, while both sides have been reinforcing their positions.

Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government have so far appeared to favour containment, but analysts warn that the room for restraint is narrowing as attacks continue.

Recent attacks raise fears of wider war in Yemen

Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East specialist and president of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, says there is a “looming possibility” that the latest attacks could push Yemen towards a wider war.

It comes after Houthi missiles and drones struck military locations inside Yemen on Thursday, killing at least 30 government soldiers and injuring 15 in the first such attack in years.

“The civil war in Yemen never really technically ended,” Kendall said, adding that while there has been a truce since 2022, “it did actually expire.”

She said recent months have seen troop movements and clashes, meaning “all the warning signs are there.”

Kendall said one factor in the internationally recognized Yemeni government’s favor is that its forces are more united than they have been in recent years, following clashes in January and subsequent attempts to integrate forces.

However, she said international backers such as Saudi Arabia would need to intervene in a significant way to stop the Houthis.

UAE condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s Najran region

The United Arab Emirates has condemned an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia’s Najran region.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a “flagrant violation” of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to the kingdom’s security and stability.

The ministry said the UAE stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supports measures taken to safeguard its security and stability.

Saudi Arabia sees Yemen conflict as ‘war of necessity’

Retired Saudi Major-General Ahmed al-Maimouni, head of research at the Rasanah International Institute for Iranian studies, says Saudi Arabia has sought to “solve their problems through negotiations”.

Speaking about growing cooperation between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, following the signing of a pact between the three countries earlier this week, al-Maimouni said they increasingly see it as being in their “shared interest to work together”.

He said this cooperation should not be viewed as directed solely against Israel or Iran, but also as an attempt to respond to wider threats from armed groups and instability across the region.

Turning to the Houthi attacks, al-Maimouni said Saudi Arabia hosts about four million Yemenis and that nobody in the kingdom wants another war in Yemen. However, he described the conflict as a “war of necessity” for Saudi Arabia, accusing the Houthis of trying to hold Yemen “prisoner”.

Yemen’s armed forces say Houthi positions targeted in multiple attacks

Yemen’s armed forces have announced a military operation targeting Houthi positions along multiple frontlines.

In a statement on Yemen TV, a spokesman said attacks were launched on “the capabilities and forces of the terrorist Houthi militia” along “multiple axes and along the line of contact with our armed forces”.

The attacks aim to “protect unarmed civilians” from attack, the spokesman added.

Yemeni government forces say Houthis renewed Marib attacks

Yemeni government forces say the Houthis have launched new attacks on Marib city, targeting “its neighborhoods and displaced persons camps with ballistic missiles”.

In a statement that shared on their official X account, Yemeni’s armed forces accused the Iran-backed Houthis of Saturday attacks “targeting of the city of Marib, its neighborhoods, and its densely populated camps housing residents and displaced persons with ballistic missiles”.

The accusation comes a day after two people were killed and 14 injured in a Houthi missile and drone barrage on the city.

The statement, which cited a military source, said there would be a response in the “appropriate time and place”.

Earlier in the day, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said its forces had targeted Houthi positions in multiple locations.