As fighting that has continued in Yemen since July escalates again, the UN Security Council condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and demanded an immediate end to actions targeting civilian sites. Thousands of people have reportedly been killed or injured in the fighting, and more than 232,000 have been displaced.
Council President Evangelos Sekeris said 13 people were killed and more than 300 injured in attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Oct. 10 and 11. The council said the attacks targeted civil aviation and energy infrastructure and caused civilian deaths and injuries.
Operations in Yemen and claims of airstrikes
Yemeni army spokesman Majed al-Nuzaili said government forces were targeting Houthi field commanders, military reinforcements, vehicles and positions as part of Operation “Dawn of Yemen.” Al-Nuzaili said the operation aims to dismantle the Houthis’ military capabilities and eliminate sources of threat.
In an earlier statement, the army spokesman said more than 1,250 operations had been carried out against Houthi positions and military capabilities in the past 24 hours. According to initial field estimates by the Yemeni army, about 700 Houthis were neutralized and more than 150 vehicles, combat vehicles, transport and supply assets were destroyed or put out of action. This military toll is based on statements by government forces.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, said a drone launched toward Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province had been intercepted and destroyed by coalition forces. Al-Maliki did not say where the drone was downed or what it was targeting. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis.
UN calls for an end to the attacks
The UN Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the Houthis’ continued attacks on Saudi Arabia and their military escalation. The council also condemned Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and threats to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, demanding an immediate halt to military escalation and attacks targeting civilians.
The UN Security Council reaffirmed its support for the Yemeni government and its commitment to Yemen’s unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. It stressed that lasting peace in Yemen cannot be achieved through violence, coercion or the use of force.
The council called for the full implementation of Resolution 2216 of 2015 and subsequent resolutions. It also called for cooperation to prevent weapons and related equipment from reaching the Houthis.
Call for humanitarian aid to Taiz
Germany called on the Houthis to withdraw from Taiz province in southwestern Yemen. Berlin also called for food, water, medicine and fuel to be allowed into the city.
Germany’s ambassador to Yemen, Thomas Friedrich Schneider, said they were following developments in Taiz “with great concern.” Schneider called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and for guaranteed access for humanitarian organizations to the area.
Amnesty International also said the recent attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia had caused serious harm to civilians. The organization said the Oct. 10 attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, in which 13 people were reportedly killed and hundreds injured, coincided with the resumption of large-scale armed conflict in Yemen.
The organization warned that civilians in Yemen, especially on the west coast and around Taiz, were also paying a heavy price for the escalation. It said deliberately targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime.
Houthis claim counterattack
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that an armed Saudi “Wing Loong 2” reconnaissance aircraft had been shot down over Marib province in central Yemen. Saree said the aircraft was carrying out “hostile activities” and was targeted with a suitable weapon.
A local statement carried by the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency claimed that Saudi Arabia had carried out artillery strikes on several locations in the border area of Saada province in northern Yemen.
Operation “Dawn of Yemen” began on Oct. 5. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi had said the operation aims to recover state institutions from the Houthis and secure control of the capital Sanaa.
The latest developments are seen as part of a process that began in July, when fighting expanded again after a period of relative calm that followed the truce that began in Yemen in April 2022. The Houthis seized control of Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 to support the Yemeni government.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan backed the Security Council’s presidential statement in separate statements on Friday. Riyadh reaffirmed its right under international law to protect the country and its citizens, while the three countries said they supported Saudi Arabia’s right to self-defense and efforts to stop the flow of weapons, funding and military support to the Houthis. The coalition said attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia since the start of October had killed 19 people and injured 364.
