UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia — Dawn

The UN Security Council condemned the intensification of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on Saudi Arabia and called on the group to immediately halt military escalation and respect the right to freedom of navigation. As Dawn reports, the statement was adopted in a rare display of unity among Security Council members.

France’s UN ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont, who chairs the Security Council, said its members had condemned in the strongest terms the continuing Houthi attacks on the kingdom. According to him, the strikes affected civilian and energy infrastructure, and civilians, including women and children, were among the casualties.

Blockade and population displacement

According to the publication, the Houthis imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, attacked tankers and seized sections of Yemen’s Red Sea coast important for oil exports. The escalation caused energy prices to rise and increased the risk of a humanitarian crisis.

Since the beginning of September, 125,000 people have been displaced in Yemen. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih told the Security Council that an increasing number of Yemenis are crossing into Djibouti to escape the fighting, and new border crossings continue.

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Appeal by the grand mufti

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan, called on military personnel to be ready to give their lives in the fight against the Houthis until the group is removed from power. In a statement released by the Saudi state news agency, he called defending the country’s territory one of the highest duties.

The mufti also said that restoring the authority of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government is one of the kingdom’s most urgent tasks. His appeal came after the loss of the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Houthi forces.

Saudi state media had previously linked the Houthis to attacks on religious sites. State television aired footage that it said showed a strike on a mosque in southern Saudi Arabia, while kingdom officials accused the group of targeting Mecca.