Houthi Red Sea attacks alarm UN envoy as Yemen war risks grow
Hans Grundberg warned renewed Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping could pull Yemen back toward wider war as oil and aid fears grow.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Houthi Red Sea attacks on commercial shipping have drawn a warning from UN envoy Hans Grundberg, who said Thursday that renewed strikes could push Yemen back toward broader war. Grundberg called for negotiations to address Yemen’s political, economic and security crisis.
Grundberg said he was alarmed by the Houthis’ return to attacks on commercial vessels, according to his statement. He warned that escalation could deepen Yemeni suffering and pull the country further into regional conflict, while saying a negotiated settlement in Yemen would support wider regional stability.
Yemen’s war has been largely paused since 2022, Al Jazeera reported, but the political standoff has continued between the Houthis, who control Sanaa, and the internationally recognised government based in Aden.
Why are the Houthis attacking Red Sea shipping?
The Houthis said Wednesday that they struck two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, using missiles and drones, Al Jazeera reported. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the ships were attacked because they violated the group’s blockade decision.
The group announced a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping on July 20. Al Jazeera reported that the blockade followed the July 13 bombing of Sanaa airport’s runway, which Yemen’s internationally recognised government said it carried out to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing.
The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the airport attack. Saudi Arabia is the main backer of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and the Houthis are allied with Iran.
Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis also fired missiles into Saudi Arabia and targeted an airport.
What has the shipping disruption affected?
At least five tankers have changed course to avoid the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s coast, Al Jazeera reported. The Bab al-Mandeb is a key shipping passage near Yemen that links Red Sea routes with waters toward the Gulf of Aden.
Al Jazeera reported that the disruption helped drive Brent crude oil above $100 a barrel. The warning from the UN envoy came as the United States carried out its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, in a war that has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social that Washington would hold Iran responsible for further Houthi attacks on shipping. He described the Houthis as a proxy of Tehran and threatened military punishment against Iran and the Houthis.
Yemen’s war and aid crisis
Yemen’s civil war has lasted nearly 12 years since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, Al Jazeera reported. The takeover pushed the internationally recognised government to Aden and drew in a Saudi-led coalition.
Al Jazeera reported that the US-Israel war on Iran has raised the risk of renewed ground fighting between Yemen’s warring sides. The UN estimates that 22 million Yemenis need aid this year, including 18.3 million people facing acute food insecurity.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.