The United Nations Security Council is due to meet Tuesday to discuss developments in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait amid Houthi attacks in Yemen that have enabled the group to seize positions overlooking the strategic waterway, diplomatic sources said.
اضافة اعلان
One source said the meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. New York time (1900 GMT), at the request of France, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council during September.
Yemen and Saudi Arabia are each expected to address the meeting, according to the same source.
The Houthis have expanded their control in recent days following a surprise attack around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links Europe and Asia. They seized control of Yemen’s entire western coastline along the Red Sea during fighting with government forces, in clashes that left hundreds dead.
Yemen returned to the forefront of regional escalation in July, as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia resumed amid the war between the United States and Iran.
The clashes began after the Houthis accused Riyadh of striking Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing there. The group then announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and resumed attacks on its tankers and oil facilities, bringing an end to a truce with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government that had been reached in 2022.
The conflict in Yemen began in 2014, when the Houthis seized large parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The following year, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognized government.
Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP)
