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UN Warns of Worst Humanitarian Catastrophe in Yemen

OCHA said women and girls are facing heightened vulnerabilities due to acute food insecurity (UN)
OCHA said women and girls are facing heightened vulnerabilities due to acute food insecurity (UN)
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UN Warns of Worst Humanitarian Catastrophe in Yemen

OCHA said women and girls are facing heightened vulnerabilities due to acute food insecurity (UN)
OCHA said women and girls are facing heightened vulnerabilities due to acute food insecurity (UN)

In its worst food security outlook in Yemen since 2022, the UN warned of a new humanitarian catastrophe in the country, saying 18 million people are estimated to face acute hunger with as many as 166 districts expected to slide into emergency levels of food insecurity.

“Yemen is again on the brink of humanitarian disaster, standing as the world’s third most food insecure context,” said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in its Yemen Humanitarian Update.

“As of September this year, 18.1 million people are estimated to
face acute hunger (IPC Phase 3 and above),” it added.

The Office warned that hunger is deepening across the country, with as many as 166 districts expected to slide into emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 4) this month.

It said that without sustained and large-scale assistance, as many as 41,000 people risk experiencing catastrophic, famine-like conditions (IPC Phase 5).

“This is the worst outlook for Yemen since 2022, when the country was grappling with fully fledged conflict,” the OCHA report said.

It noted that the situation is particularly severe for internally displaced persons (IDPs), with nearly seven in ten families reporting in June that they were unable to meet their basic food needs.

That same month, the Office said almost one in three families were going a whole 24-hour period without eating.

And as in other crises around the world, it said women and girls are facing heightened vulnerabilities due to acute food insecurity, often eating least and last and finding themselves increasingly exposed to protection risks.

Collapsing Economy
OCHA said that Yemen’s devastating crisis is driven by a collapsing economy, prolonged conflict, increasingly frequent climate shocks and deteriorating essential services.

“A volatile currency, surging food prices and widespread unemployment have eroded families’ purchasing power, making staple food items unaffordable for millions,” the Office found.

It said ongoing conflict, (Israeli) airstrikes and restrictions on Yemen’s financial system have further damaged infrastructure and livelihoods.

Moreover, delayed rains and severe water shortages have disrupted
planting, with the ensuing drought and now ongoing floods expected to further destroy crops and imperil livestock.

“An estimated 5.1 million farmers and 9.7 million livestock keepers risk losing their livelihoods, deepening food insecurity across the country and widening consumption gaps,” the report said, adding that families across the country have exhausted nearly every survival strategy.

In June, it said, almost four in every five households reported having no savings to provide for their basic needs.

According to OCHA, families are selling assets, such as livestock and shelter, as well as cutting medical and essential expenses to get by. These measures, in part, have worsened an already unparalleled malnutrition crisis, with nearly half of all young children in Yemen now malnourished, the report found.

Also, in response to worsening food insecurity, World Food Program resumed the second food distribution of the year in areas controlled by the de facto authorities (DFA), which was halted in April 2025 due to critical operational impediments.

Funding cuts have also impacted humanitarian operations - both in Yemen and globally, OCHA said.

It warned that the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) in Yemen is 10% funded as of 15 September, having received $109 million of the $1.1 billion required for 2025.

Therefore, urgent funding is needed to prevent further deterioration in food security and ensure millions can continue receiving the assistance they need to survive.

In late July, the UN report said FSAC launched a hyper-prioritized plan to combat further deteriorations in food insecurity.

The plan requests $241 million to provide urgent interventions in locations with the highest levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, which FSAC partners will deliver in close coordination with the Nutrition Cluster.

Under the plan, the hardest-hit areas, including districts anticipated to face pockets of catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5), will serve as the entry point for response activities.

Meanwhile, the Yemen Humanitarian Fund is planning to launch a $20 million allocation, which will focus on addressing excess mortality, morbidity and extreme protection issues arising from the negative consequences of rising food insecurity and malnutrition.

Funding will target 17 districts where food insecurity and malnutrition are most severe, and the prioritization of response activities has been done through a bottom-up approach engaging the Regional Coordination Teams to identify the most impactful interventions.

And while urgent humanitarian assistance remains the most critical priority, OCHA said longer-term solutions are also needed.

“Stabilizing Yemen’s economy, controlling inflation, investing in development activities, resuming oil exports and investing in weather-resilient agriculture and livelihoods are critical to reducing aid dependence and improving sustainable food security,” it noted.

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Arab World

Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Continued Iranian Attacks on Arab States

Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Continued Iranian Attacks on Arab States
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Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Continued Iranian Attacks on Arab States

Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Continued Iranian Attacks on Arab States

Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi condemned the continued systematic Iranian terrorist attacks against several Arab states, describing them as a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as a direct threat to regional security and stability, SPA reported.

He said in a statement that the attacks carried out by Iran since the outbreak of the war, using missiles and drones, reflect a recurring hostile approach that disregards state sovereignty and the safety of civilians.

He stressed that the targeting of infrastructure facilities and the resulting casualties reveal a clear disregard for international humanitarian law and reflect a determination to undermine security and stability in the region.

The Arab Parliament speaker held the Iranian regime fully responsible for these acts and their repercussions, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take a firm and immediate stance to halt these violations and end the aggressive policies threatening regional and international peace and security.

Al-Yamahi also renewed the Arab Parliament’s full support for the measures taken by the targeted Arab states to preserve their security and stability, safeguard their sovereignty, and act in accordance with international law and their legitimate right to self-defense.

Arab World

Iraq Pushes to Centralize War Powers Under State Control

Relatives of a soldier killed in an airstrike on Habbaniyah base carry the Iraqi flag during his funeral (AFP)
Relatives of a soldier killed in an airstrike on Habbaniyah base carry the Iraqi flag during his funeral (AFP)
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Iraq Pushes to Centralize War Powers Under State Control

Relatives of a soldier killed in an airstrike on Habbaniyah base carry the Iraqi flag during his funeral (AFP)
Relatives of a soldier killed in an airstrike on Habbaniyah base carry the Iraqi flag during his funeral (AFP)

Iraqi security sources reported a breakthrough in investigations into rocket and drone attacks on diplomatic and security sites, as political and legal pressure intensifies to confine decisions of war and peace to the state.

A security source familiar with the probe told Asharq Al-Awsat that authorities have begun identifying those behind the launches. The information was obtained after the arrest of three members of an armed faction, who were already subject to arrest warrants.

Security forces also detained another group suspected of involvement in attacks targeting the US embassy in Baghdad, the source said.

More arrest warrants are expected as investigators pursue others suspected of carrying out rocket and drone attacks in violation of the law.

Judicial warnings

The government has not named those responsible, but armed factions have repeatedly claimed similar operations through statements and online platforms, complicating the security landscape and weakening state control over weapons.

The developments follow a warning from Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan of “serious repercussions” from unilateral military decisions by factions and non-official entities. He said such actions violate the constitution and risk exposing Iraq to international isolation and sanctions.

Zidan said declaring a state of war requires a constitutional process, including approval by two-thirds of parliament based on a joint request from the president and prime minister.

The escalation underscores growing tension between the state and armed factions, as authorities seek to reassert institutional control amid rising domestic and international criticism over fragmented security decision-making and continued attacks on diplomatic missions.

Regional war dynamics

Officials describe the situation as indirect involvement in the region’s “geography of war,” with repeated attacks on sites linked to the US presence in Baghdad and Erbil, alongside airstrikes on military positions inside Iraq.

Since the start of the Middle East war, Iraqi factions have claimed attacks on US interests.

Iran has struck Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq, while sites linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces and Iran-aligned factions have been hit by airstrikes attributed to the United States and Israel.

War powers debate

Calls are growing within Iraq to reaffirm that decisions of war and peace rest solely with constitutional institutions.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the government is “the sole authority” empowered to take such decisions, despite operating in a caretaker capacity following recent parliamentary changes.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated Baghdad’s firm rejection of any attacks targeting Gulf states, stressing solidarity with sister countries and commitment to their security and stability. It said Gulf security is inseparable from Iraq’s national security and that regional stability serves all.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan have condemned attacks by Iran-aligned Iraqi factions on regional countries and infrastructure, calling them violations of international law.

Energy risks

President Abdul Latif Rashid reiterated Iraq’s rejection of war, voicing deep concern over the widening conflict and calling for an immediate halt to military operations and a return to dialogue.

In a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Rashid said continued war serves no country in the region and threatens Middle East stability.

He added that Iraq, both its people and government, calls for peace and expresses solidarity with the Iranian people, praising their resilience in the face of “attacks.”

In Geneva, Iraq’s mission to the United Nations warned that expanding the conflict would deepen crises and undermine stability. Jaafar Mohammed, second secretary at Iraq’s mission, cautioned that disruptions to energy supply chains through the Strait of Hormuz could have global economic repercussions.

Arab World

Lebanese Army ‘Repositions’ Itself in the South to Avoid Contact with Israel

A Lebanese army patrol in southern Lebanon. (Lebanese army file photo)
A Lebanese army patrol in southern Lebanon. (Lebanese army file photo)
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Lebanese Army ‘Repositions’ Itself in the South to Avoid Contact with Israel

A Lebanese army patrol in southern Lebanon. (Lebanese army file photo)
A Lebanese army patrol in southern Lebanon. (Lebanese army file photo)

The Lebanese army and security forces are carrying out a “preventive” redeployment of units in the south under Israeli fire, in a move seen as aimed at avoiding direct contact or friction with Israeli forces.

The step comes amid the absence of a political decision to confront Israeli incursions militarily, and is viewed as the adoption of “protective tactics” for personnel in an area witnessing ongoing clashes.

A Lebanese security source familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that the forces follow a fixed field principle of remaining alongside residents until the last moment before they need to evacuate an area.

“Personnel stay where civilians are, and withdraw only after displacement is complete, and before any potential Israeli advance, ensuring neither they nor residents are exposed to danger,” the source said.

Deployment is directly tied to displacement patterns and conditions in each town, the source said, noting that “the presence of residents is a decisive factor in the Internal Security Forces maintaining their posts.”

“Posts are not evacuated under a declared central plan, but based on changing field data,” the source added. “Every town that is emptied of its residents is automatically followed by the evacuation of its police post, with personnel joining the nearest military point.”

The town of Khiam was “among the last locations to maintain a security presence alongside residents until the final stages of displacement, before it was evacuated” as Israeli forces advanced.

Military pullback, local pushback

The town of Debel highlights the complexity of the situation between the military and civilians. A local source said the army had maintained an advanced position on its outskirts, but as limited Israeli incursions began nearby, the position was withdrawn overnight into the town, specifically to the public school.

“The withdrawal did not stop there,” the source said. “The following day, personnel were completely pulled out of Debel toward Rmeish, leaving no effective military presence inside the town, while personnel from Debel remained in their homes in civilian clothing.”

The most sensitive step was a proposal to relocate soldiers from the town, along with their families, outside the area, a move locally seen as a prelude to emptying the town. It was met with widespread rejection.

About 200 security personnel from Debel serve in the army and security forces, meaning their departure with their families would have led to the near-total evacuation of the town. Political and local efforts, involving the defense and interior ministries and religious authorities, led to the plan being frozen.

Despite the tension, the source said the town is not under siege, noting that the Debel-Rmeish road remains open, easing pressure for evacuation. Residents and personnel remain in their homes, while military positions and police posts continue operating in nearby towns, such as Ain Ebel and Rmeish.

Local media reported that the army repositioned at the Khardali checkpoint, the main gateway to the southern Litani area from the eastern sector, and is preparing to redeploy at the Kafra checkpoint, as Israeli forces advance toward Beit Lif and the facing Wadi al-Oyoun from the south.

Lebanese army commander General Rodolphe Haykal inspected units in Beirut and the southern city of Sidon and reviewed security measures within their areas of responsibility.

He urged troops to maintain readiness “to prevent any breach of security, and to act firmly against any attempt to undermine internal stability.”

“Despite rumors and incitement campaigns aimed at undermining the sacrifices and efforts of soldiers, the army will not hesitate to carry out its national duties,” he said, calling on troops “not to be influenced by such rumors, to adhere to their doctrine, and remain committed to performing their national duty.”

Preventive strategy

Former MP and retired brigadier general Chamel Roukoz said the moves “cannot be described as a traditional military withdrawal,” but rather a calculated field redeployment shaped by an asymmetric confrontation, given Israeli air and firepower superiority and the risk of direct targeting of exposed positions.

He said the army operates within a margin set by political authority, noting that no decision has been issued by the government to engage or confront Israeli forces directly.

“The military institution manages its deployment accordingly, balancing field presence with safety requirements,” he said.

On the evacuation of positions, including those reported in Debel, Roukoz said the measures “do not reflect abandonment of territory or a collapse of the front,” but rather precautions imposed by field realities, where some positions become easy targets under bombardment.

He said the redeployment carries operational and morale dimensions, aiming to avoid direct friction in the absence of a political decision, preserve troop morale, and avoid pushing forces into unequal confrontations.

The army command, he added, is showing “high flexibility” in managing deployment, shifting from exposed positions to safer ones.

Roukoz said the developments fall within “protection and redeployment tactics adopted in high-risk environments,” reflecting careful management of the balance between political decision-making and field realities.