UN Envoy Says Yemen Is Back in "Full-Scale War" as Fight for Bab al-Mandeb Threatens Saudi Arabia's Alternative Oil Route

Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, told the Security Council on Friday, October 9, 2026 (17 Mehr 1405) that the country has effectively slid back into "full-scale war". According to Al Jazeera, forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, are pressing an offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis aimed at retaking the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea. The government announced on Sunday, October 4 (12 Mehr) the start of operation "Dawn of Yemen" to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, including the capital Sanaa. Heavy fighting is under way around Mocha and Dubhab on the Red Sea coast, and both sides claim control of the shipping lanes.

Al Jazeera notes that Bab al-Mandeb has become an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been severely disrupted, and that Riyadh has increasingly relied on the Red Sea route for oil exports. The Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi-linked ships in July and in September seized stretches of the western coast and Mayyun Island in the strait. The UN says at least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 injured since August, and the International Organization for Migration says more than 200,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated in September.

Houthi attacks on Saudi airports have also continued. Saudi aviation authorities said three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, were killed in the strike on Riyadh's international airport on Friday, and several airlines suspended flights.