Yemen

A series of intense Israeli airstrikes shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday and killed at least nine people, officials said, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel. Thursday’s strikes risk further escalating conflict with the Iranian-backed Houthis, whose attacks on the Red Sea corridor have drastically impacted global shipping.

Peace is possible in Yemen, and continued support from the international community is essential to achieve it, the UN Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday. … He said Houthi activity in the Red Sea, and attacks on Israel, remain ongoing, and the United States and the United Kingdom continue to launch airstrikes in response. “These developments, which have persisted over the course of the year, have shrunk the space for my mediation efforts,” he said.

The Security Council today decided to renew for 12 months a travel ban and assets freeze imposed on certain designated individuals and entities in Yemen and to extend for 13 months the mandate of the Panel of Experts tasked with assisting the Council’s Yemen Sanctions Committee.

The Security Council received an update today from the Committee monitoring implementation of sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in actions that threaten Yemen’s peace and stability. … it heard a presentation by the Panel of Experts on its final report, which was … issued as document S/2024/731.

Amid rising regional tensions, a national humanitarian crisis and a looming environmental disaster, all stakeholders must put Yemen first, the United Nations official charged with mediating a sustainable resolution to the conflict in that country told the Security Council today.

Six United Nations personnel who’ve been held on “spurious” accusations in Yemen for three months by the Houthi de facto authorities must be released immediately, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Tuesday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Monday for Houthi rebels in Yemen to immediately and unconditionally release UN staff, humanitarians, diplomatic personnel and others who have been detained for more than two months. 

The UN human rights chief has strongly condemned the recent storming of his team’s headquarters in Sana’a, Yemen, by the de facto authorities Ansar Allah, and renewed his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN staff detained in the country. … Those being held include 13 UN staff, including six employees of the UN human rights office, more than 50 NGO workers, and an embassy staff member.

U.S. military forces have struck at targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen in the past 24 hours, destroying two drones, a Houthi ground control station, and three anti-ship cruise missiles, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. Earlier, the Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had attacked a container ship in the Red Sea and two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.

Yemen is at risk of returning to full-scale war and the international community has a common interest and responsibility to stop this from happening, UN Special Envoy for the country Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council on Tuesday.