Yemen warns Houthis attempting to impose ‘new reality’ in Red Sea

Yemen's UN envoy Abdullah al-Saadi warned that the Houthi group is continuing its military escalation and attempting to impose a "new reality" in the Red Sea.

Speaking during an emergency UN Security Council session on Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Saadi said the group's actions threaten shipping in the strategic waterway.

"The Houthi militia continues its escalation and is attempting to impose a new reality in the Red Sea," he said.

"The Houthi militia threatens navigation in the Red Sea," Saadi added, warning of the dangers posed by the group gaining control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

"We are defending Bab al-Mandeb as a matter of international and regional security," he said.

The Yemeni envoy called on the Security Council to condemn the Houthis' military escalation and enforce its arms embargo against the group.

He said the internationally recognized government had "chosen peace over war and exercised restraint throughout these years," stressing that it would continue "fulfilling its duty to protect its people and institutions."

His remarks came amid escalating clashes between government forces and the Houthis along Yemen's western coast, which overlooks the Red Sea and lies near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis have advanced along the western coast in recent days, while local media reported that the group had seized strategic Zuqar Island in the Red Sea near Bab al-Mandeb. Neither the Houthis nor government forces have officially confirmed the report.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi previously warned about the repercussions of military movements near Bab al-Mandeb.

Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba has also urged the Security Council to adopt a "clear and firm position" 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 following years of relative calm.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.