Houthi Missile Strikes Push Yemen Toward Full-Scale Conflict

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned on Monday that a surge in Houthi missile and drone attacks risks returning the country to full-scale conflict. The escalation, the most significant since the 2022 UN-brokered truce, targeted the government-held port city of Mokha, as well as oil-rich provinces including Marib, Hadramout, and Shabwa.

Strikes on August 9 and 10 hit residential areas, power stations, and port infrastructure. The Yemeni government military reported seven deaths and 30 injuries in Mokha on Monday, while other reports indicated at least 11 deaths from Sunday's attacks. In Shabwa province, Houthi shelling killed two soldiers and injured seven others. The Houthi Movement claimed the operations targeted Saudi-backed military concentrations and arms depots to preempt a military buildup.

Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, vowed in Riyadh that the government would respond to the escalation and would no longer allow the Houthis to dictate the timing of confrontations. This violence follows a July 20 maritime blockade announced by the Sana'a government against Saudi Arabia. Grundberg urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent the further erosion of the ceasefire's gains for Yemeni civilians.