The United Nations has called on all parties in Yemen to reduce tensions and resolve their differences through dialogue, warning that renewed military escalation could undermine efforts to achieve peace in the country.
Khaled Khiari, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, made the appeal on Monday during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on developments in Yemen, according to the UN web site.
The meeting came shortly after Yemen’s Houthi group said in a video statement by its military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, that it had targeted Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia with several ballistic missiles and drones. The group said the attack was in response to strikes on Sanaa International Airport.
Addressing the Security Council, Khiari referred to recent developments in Yemen, including reports that an Iranian aircraft flew from Tehran to Sanaa International Airport on 3 July before returning to Iran, as well as other “concerning developments” on the ground.
He added that reports also said another Iranian aircraft landed at Hodeidah Airport in western Yemen on Monday carrying a Houthi delegation returning from Tehran. The flight came after air strikes on Sanaa International Airport that the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia.
In light of these developments, Khiari stressed that the UN is “deeply concerned about the risk of wider escalation,” warning that “Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation.”
The UN official further warned that “Unilateral measures will not bring Yemen closer to peace. On the contrary, they risk exacerbating divisions, accelerating the fragmentation of the country, and increasing the risk of renewed military confrontation.”
“There is no alternative to an inclusive political process led by Yemenis,” Khiari added.
The Houthis have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2014. However, the two sides have largely maintained a period of relative calm since a UN-brokered truce was agreed in April 2022.
