The 15-member council said on Friday that strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure had injured civilians, including women and children, as cross-border attacks from Yemen continued to place Saudi cities and strategic facilities under pressure.
Council members affirmed “the inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to self-defence in accordance with international law” and expressed solidarity with Riyadh over attacks affecting civilians and civilian objects on Saudi territory.
The statement also condemned Houthi attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab, a key route linking the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal. Members stressed the need to respect international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to preserve freedom of navigation.
The council called for practical cooperation, including with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, to enforce the arms embargo imposed under Resolution 2216. It said member states should prevent the Houthis from obtaining weapons, training and financing that could enable further attacks.
The intervention followed a sharp escalation in fighting inside Yemen and across the Saudi border. UN officials told an emergency council meeting this week that Houthi missile and drone attacks on September 8 struck civilian and economic targets in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran, reportedly injuring 73 civilians, including women and children.
Further attacks on September 14 and 15 targeted several Saudi cities, with officials reporting 13 civilians injured, seven homes damaged and commercial aviation disrupted. The Houthis also said they had targeted King Khalid Air Base at Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles and drones.
Saudi authorities have issued repeated security alerts as the threat has widened. Civil Defence warnings were activated across several areas on Friday night, including Jeddah, Taif, Khamis Mushait and AlUla, before later updates indicated that the immediate danger had passed in some locations.
The council’s statement followed attacks that have also affected Saudi energy infrastructure, including the East-West oil pipeline, an export route while shipping remains under strain. Saudi Arabia has said damage to energy facilities carries wider economic consequences.
The Security Council linked the cross-border attacks to a broader deterioration in Yemen, where Houthi forces have intensified operations along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab Al-Mandab Strait. Council members warned that continued escalation could expand the conflict, endanger maritime security and international trade, and further undermine efforts to secure a political settlement.
UN agencies say the fighting has also deepened Yemen’s humanitarian emergency. More than 112,000 people have been displaced inside the country since the escalation began, while thousands have crossed the Gulf of Aden towards Djibouti. UN officials said more than 22 million people across Yemen now require humanitarian assistance.
The council renewed its demand for the unconditional, safe and immediate release of detainees held by the Houthis, including 73 UN personnel, as well as staff from non-governmental organisations, civil society groups and diplomatic missions.
At the council’s emergency meeting, several members separately condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia and called for restraint. The United Kingdom said the strikes had endangered civilians, regional stability and international shipping, while Bahrain reaffirmed support for Saudi Arabia’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Saudi Arabia’s representative has argued that calls for de-escalation must be accompanied by measures to halt the flow of military support enabling Houthi attacks. Council members on Friday placed renewed emphasis on implementation of the existing arms embargo and on preventing the transfer of weapons and related assistance to the group.
The Houthis have said their operations are a response to Saudi military action in Yemen. Saudi and Yemeni government forces have carried out air strikes against Houthi positions as fighting has intensified around contested areas and transport routes.
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