UN Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia, Risks Wider Regional Conflict

The United Nations Security Council has condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with Riyadh. The emergency session was requested by the UK, the council's penholder on Yemen, and Bahrain after Houthi forces launched missile and drone strikes on September 8 against several targets in southern Saudi Arabia.

The attacks injured 73 people, including women and children, and sparked fires that temporarily disrupted operations at a major oil refinery in Jazan. The UN's special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned that the escalation risks 'dragging the country into the wider and unresolved regional confrontation, with global repercussions.'

The US has demanded an immediate end to all Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, Yemen's legitimate government, and international shipping, and called for stronger enforcement of existing Security Council resolutions. The UK's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Kate Foster, said the Houthis bear 'full responsibility for this crisis.'

China's envoy, Fu Cong, expressed concern over the sharp escalation, but stopped short of directly blaming the Houthis.