UN envoy calls on Houthis to halt military offensive in Yemen's Taiz

The UN on Thursday called on the Houthis to halt their military offensive in Yemen's Taiz province, warning that intensified fighting poses "grave risks" to civilians.

"I am alarmed by developments in Taiz governorate, where fighting has significantly intensified," UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement.

Grundberg said his office had received "deeply troubling reports" of casualties, damage to infrastructure and road closures affecting people's ability to leave the area.

He said Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, is in the province currently hosting the majority of Yemenis newly displaced by recent fighting elsewhere in the country.

"Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Every effort must be made to prevent further harm and ensure safe and unhindered access to people in need," Grundberg said.

He reiterated his call on the Houthis to halt their military offensive, saying he remained in close contact with the Yemeni government and the group to contain the situation and ensure freedom of civilian movement.

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has intensified since early July, marking the most significant escalation since the relative calm that followed a UN-brokered truce in April 2022.

Nearly 147,000 people were displaced across Yemen between Sept. 1 and 18 amid the renewed fighting, with Taiz receiving more than 80,000 of them, according to Yemeni government figures.

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