Today, Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council held a session on the situation in Yemen, where the United Nations expressed its concern about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, describing the recent military escalation as the worst in years, while the Saudi-led coalition launched raids in Marib and Al-Bayda.
Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, described the recent reports on the fighting in Yemen as worrying, warning that the humanitarian situation was exacerbated by the fighting.
“We are witnessing points of tension, whether it is about the (Emirati) ship or the situation in Hodeidah,” he added.
Dujarric referred to consultations outside the region by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, which he concluded today with a visit to the United Kingdom, where discussions dealt with the economic situation and the impact of the military escalation on the prospects for a peaceful and just solution to the conflict.
In turn, Grundberg said during the session that the ceasefire efforts in Yemen are facing obstacles, and described the recent military escalation in Yemen as the worst that the country has witnessed in years.
Grundberg reiterated his call for all parties to dialogue even if they were not ready to lay down their arms, and said that no long-term solution could be found on the battlefield.
Grundberg to the Security Council: “It seems that the common belief among the warring parties is that inflicting enough harm on the other will compel them to submit. But a sustainable long-term solution cannot be found on the battlefield. The warring parties can, and must, talk to each other in order to If you weren’t ready to lay down a gun.”
– @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) January 12, 2022
The UN envoy to Yemen added that the Houthi group is still determined to continue its attack on Marib and Shabwa, in return for an increase in the Saudi-led coalition’s air strikes, not only around the front lines of the conflict, but also in Sanaa.
He pointed out that all these events led to an increase in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
For its part, the coalition said after the Security Council session, “We welcome the move by the United Nations to inspect the ports of Hodeidah to ensure that they are not used militarily.”
He added that the United Nations should ensure that foreign fighters do not flow in and weapons reach Hodeidah, describing the port of Hodeidah as a destination for fighters and ballistic missiles.
The coalition stressed that it will act “in self-defense and military necessity when the militarization of the ports continues.”
raids and killings
This coincides with the coalition’s announcement that the Air Force has carried out 33 targeting operations in Marib and Al-Bayda, during the past 24 hours.
The coalition confirmed that the targeting in Marib “destroyed 11 military vehicles, and eliminated more than 110 terrorist elements,” while in Al-Bayda, “10 Houthi military vehicles were destroyed and more than 90 Houthi militants were killed.”
On the other hand, media affiliated with Ansar Allah al-Houthi reported that 27 airstrikes were launched by the coalition on Marib, and 6 raids on al-Bayda governorate.