Middle East (Yemen) - Security Council, 10208th meeting

Yemen at risk of entering wider Middle East conflict, UN Special Envoy warns Security Council, as several members condemn escalating Houthi attacks.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 01:38:20
• Production Date: 13 August 2026
• Asset Language: Arabic; English; French; Russian; Spanish; Chinese; Original
• Personal Subject: HANS GRUNDBERG; THOMAS FLETCHER
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; MIDDLE EAST SITUATION; TRADE; WOMEN; FINANCING; HUMANITARIAN CRISIS; MARITIME TRANSPORT; EMERGENCY RELIEF; AID PROGRAMMES; INTERNATIONAL WATERCOURSES; CONFLICT; YEMEN SITUATION; MEASLES
• Geographic Subject: MIDDLE EAST; YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 3617423
• Parent Id: 3617045
• Alternate Title: MTG SC 10208 YEMEN 13 AUG 2026 AM

Description

The conflict expanding across the Middle East has now arrived on Yemen’s shores, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, warning that attacks by Houthi militants on critical waterways are imperiling global trade and threatening to pull Yemen into the “vortex” of the wider war.

“Yemen today faces a more serious risk of return to large-scale conflict than at any point since the 2022 UN-mediated truce,” said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, as he briefed the 15-member Council on recent developments.

Citing intensifying military activity along the country’s frontline — including recent attacks by the group Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis — he warned that regional trade and energy flows are already under extreme pressure amid the Strait of Hormuz standoff.

• Briefer: Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (via video-teleconference)
• Briefer: Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (via video-teleconference)
• Statements: All Council members, with Liberia speaking on behalf of: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Somalia
• Statement: Yemen

Related Sites and Documents

UN Meetings Coverage

S/PV.10208