UN Chief Urges Yemen Rivals: No New Violence and Renew Truce

United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
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UN Chief Urges Yemen Rivals: No New Violence and Renew Truce

United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General Antَnio Guterres speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Yemen’s warring parties on Monday to refrain from any provocations that could escalate violence. The move follows the failure to extend a nationwide cease-fire and to engage with each other to renew the truce.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general is disappointed that the legitimate government and Iran-backed Houthi militias didn’t reach an agreement before the Oct. 2 deadline. But he stressed: "We in no way see it as the end of the road."

The initial two-month truce agreed to on April 2 and extended twice brought the longest lull in fighting since the devastating war began in 2014. The failure to renew it for an even longer period as the UN sought has raised fears of renewed clashes and a worsening of the already dire humanitarian situation.

Dujarric said UN special envoy Hans Grundberg is still in negotiations with the government and the Houthis and will continue to explore "options that are acceptable to both parties."

Last Friday, Guterres urged both sides to prioritize the national interests of the Yemeni people, expand the truce and "choose peace for good." His statement followed a stark warning three days earlier from Grundberg that the risk of a return to fighting "is real."

Dujarric said there’s still time for the parties to "do what they need to do to benefit the people of Yemen."

"The truce has directly benefited Yemeni civilians," he said. "Major military activity stopped. Civilian casualties have dropped significantly. Fuel imports through Hodeidah ports eased shortages, and international commercial flights out of Sanaa airport to Amman and other destinations have resumed."



Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)

Twenty countries denounced in a joint statement the escalating tensions in the Middle East caused by what they term Israel’s aggression against Iran and called for diplomacy and dialogue to restore stability in the region.

“There’s an imperative need to halt Israeli hostilities against Iran, which come during a time of increasing tension in the Middle East, and to work towards de-escalation, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and restoration of calm,” read the statement.

Foreign ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, Chad, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, and Mauritania rejected finding resolution through military campaigns. Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the escalation.

They also highlighted the importance of clearing the region of nuclear and mass destruction weapons and called for refraining from targeting nuclear facilities and protecting maritime navigation in international waters.