Yemen's Four-Year Truce Collapses as Houthis Seize Mocha; Grundberg Warns UN Security Council of 'Dangerous Phase'

September 10, 2026 — Houthi forces captured the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha, the last harbour fully under the internationally recognised government's control, extending an offensive launched September 3 across Taiz, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda governorates and bringing the group within reach of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, through which 10-12% of global trade passes. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told an emergency UN Security Council session that Yemen faces 'a new and more dangerous phase of war' as the fragile truce in place since April 2022 collapses, warning that fighting has displaced more than 11,400 households (roughly 44,000 people) and that consequences 'will not remain within Yemen's borders.' The escalation follows Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia that wounded 73 civilians on September 8 — described by the Houthis as retaliation for a Saudi strike that killed seven in Al-Jawf — and comes atop a UN estimate of 18.3 million Yemenis facing acute food insecurity. Yemen's UN ambassador condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia's ambassador called for enforcement of UN Resolutions 2216 and 2722. Grundberg urged the Houthis to halt attacks on commercial shipping and civilians and called for the political settlement track to be preserved despite the fighting.