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The Ambassador of Yemen to the United Nations (UN), Abdullah al-Saadi, warned that the Houthi group continues its military escalation and is attempting to impose a "new reality" in the Red Sea.
During an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, Saadi stated that the group's actions threaten navigation in this strategic waterway.
"The Houthi militia continues its escalation and is trying to impose a new reality in the Red Sea," declared the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Yemen.
"The Houthi militia threatens navigation in the Red Sea," he added, warning of the dangers should the group gain control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
"We are defending Bab el-Mandeb as a matter of international and regional security," the authority remarked.
The Yemeni envoy called on the Security Council to condemn the Houthi military escalation and enforce the arms embargo imposed on the group.
Saadi affirmed that the internationally recognized government had "chosen peace over war and exercised restraint throughout these years," emphasizing that it will continue "to fulfill its duty to protect its people and institutions."
His statements came amid intense clashes between government forces and the Houthis along Yemen's western coast, overlooking the Red Sea and near the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
The Houthis have advanced along the western coast in recent days, while local media reported that the group had taken the strategic Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, near Bab el-Mandeb. Neither the Houthis nor government forces have officially confirmed this information.
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, previously warned about the repercussions of military movements near Bab el-Mandeb.
Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba has also urged the Security Council to adopt a "clear and firm stance" on the Houthi escalation and the risks it poses to Yemen, the region, and the Red Sea.
Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified on several fronts since early July, after years of relative calm.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since the Houthis took the capital, Sana'a, and several provinces in September 2014. An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
