October 16, 2024 | Flash Brief
UN Representative Blames Houthis for Ongoing Destabilization in Yemen
October 16, 2024 | Flash Brief
UN Representative Blames Houthis for Ongoing Destabilization in Yemen
Latest Developments
The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg urged the Houthis in Yemen to cease their attacks on international shipping on October 15, warning that the terrorist organization could spiral Yemen further into a regional conflict with the United States and Israel.
Grundberg said that should the Houthis continue their attacks on civilian ships, the consequences could range from further U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen to an environmental disaster in the Red Sea.
“Such attacks on civilian shipping are wholly unacceptable and must cease immediately,” Grundberg said in a briefing to the United Nations Security Council. He added that dozens of UN employees are currently being held against their will by the Iran-backed group and called for their immediate release. France’s Political Coordinator at the UN echoed Grundberg’s comments, stating that the ongoing Houthi attacks “fuel the escalation in the region, for which the Houthis bear a heavy responsibility.”
The Houthis have launched over 150 attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. The U.S. Navy began its defensive mission, Operation Prosperity Guardian, in December in order to counter the Houthi threat and restore order to the Red Sea.
Expert Analysis
“UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg should be lamenting that the international community did not seriously take the threat posed by the Houthis a decade ago. Moreover, currently, the Houthis have no significant incentives to halt their harmful activities in the region. This lack of effective deterrence by the international community encourages the Houthis to launch attacks on commercial shipping vessels, fire ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, and detain UN personnel under the pretense of spying. The threat the Houthis and their Iranian patron pose will only grow unless the international community does much more to counter their malign activity.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal
“Arms smuggling from Iran continues to supply the Houthis with sophisticated missiles they use to attack commercial shipping, U.S. and partner forces, as well as the Israeli homeland. Stopping Houthi attacks must involve a serious effort to cut the supply lines that allow Iran to transfer these weapons to Yemen.” — Ryan Brobst, FDD Senior Research Analyst
Related Analysis
“Israel Intercepts Missile Launched by Iran-Backed Houthis in Yemen,” FDD Flash Brief
“The Houthis’ leadership structure,” by Joe Truzman
“Following Houthi Attacks, Israel Again Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen,” FDD Flash Brief
“10 Things to Know About the Houthis,” FDD Insight