UN warns Yemen escalation threatens Red Sea navigation, global trade

The UN warned on Tuesday that escalating fighting in Yemen and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait risks further destabilizing a critical international maritime route, while Yemen's government urged the Security Council to take stronger measures against the Houthi group.

Addressing an emergency Security Council meeting, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said fighting had intensified along Yemen's western coast as the Houthis advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and claimed capturing several islands in the southern Red Sea.

Although commercial shipping through the Red Sea appeared largely unaffected so far, Khiari said the developments were adding to market concerns amid continuing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

He said Yemen's government had launched a counteroffensive following the Houthi advances, with clashes reported across several frontlines.

The escalation has also exacted a heavy toll on civilians. UN humanitarian officials estimate that at least 125,000 people have been displaced across Yemen since the beginning of September, while the UN human rights office has recorded 40 civilian casualties, including eight deaths. Women and children account for half of those killed and more than half of those injured, Khiari said.

He highlighted growing regional repercussions, including Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and strikes said to have damaged Saudi energy infrastructure. He called on all parties to protect civilians, comply with international humanitarian law and facilitate humanitarian access.

Yemen's representative, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, said the Houthi escalation had become a threat extending beyond Yemen's borders, affecting regional security, energy supplies and global trade.

Al-Saadi urged the Council to condemn Houthi attacks, enforce existing arms embargo measures and support Yemen's government in restoring control over its territory, coastline, ports and territorial waters.

He also warned that instability around Bab el-Mandeb Strait could create an environment conducive to arms, drug and human trafficking and cooperation between militant and organized criminal networks.

Khiari stressed the need for restraint and renewed UN-led political engagement, saying freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb must be restored and respected under international law.

He warned that prolonged disruption of maritime trade could raise global costs and threaten energy markets, food security and vulnerable economies, underscoring the urgent need to prevent Yemen's conflict from further spilling into regional and international security.