Amid ongoing Houthi attacks in Yemen and rising threats to navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, diplomatic sources have confirmed that the United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting today, Tuesday, at 19:00 GMT to discuss the developments in Bab al-Mandab.
The request for the meeting was initiated by France, Latvia, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Bahrain.
This move follows increased international concerns about maritime safety in Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea, triggered by Houthi threats. The advance of Houthi militias in recent days, including the takeover of Perim Island at the entrance of the Red Sea, has heightened these fears. Houthi forces have pushed into the western coast past areas of the Dhubab district, simultaneously moving into Mayun Island, Hanish Archipelago Islands, and Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, following the capture of Al-Mokha and its port.
Meanwhile, government forces have realigned their positions south of the city of Al-Mokha.
The Yemeni Coast
Furthermore, attacks on Yemen's western coast, which overlooks the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as strategic islands within and around the strait, have driven oil prices above $100 per barrel.
In July, Yemen returned to the forefront of regional tensions with renewed clashes between Houthi militias and Yemeni forces amid the larger conflict involving the United States and Iran.
Yesterday, Monday, the United Nations International Organization for Migration announced that nearly 94,000 people have been displaced due to the recent escalation in Yemen. In a statement, it reported that 93,864 people nationwide were newly displaced because of ongoing conflict.
The greatest impact has been observed in the western Yemeni provinces of Taiz and Lahij. Specifically, in Taiz’s Jabal Habashi district alone, 18,840 people were displaced, while 9,966 individuals were displaced from the Al-Maafir district.
In Lahij, 16,464 people were displaced from the Al-Madhariba district, with the Tuban district adding nearly 3,000 more displaced individuals.
The UN agency also recorded displacement cases in the provinces of Aden, Hodeidah, Abyan, and other districts in Taiz, indicating the widening geographical scope of the crisis.