ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Monday expressed deep concern over recent attacks by the Houthi group on the Yemeni government-held city of Mocha, warning that the military escalation could push Yemen back toward full-scale conflict.
The attacks on Mocha reportedly caused civilian and military casualties and damaged infrastructure, including facilities at the city's port, Grundberg said in a statement.
He said the attacks came amid "the most significant intensification of military activity" since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022, sharply increasing the risk of renewed large-scale conflict in Yemen.
The UN envoy called on the parties to exercise "maximum restraint" and work with his office on concrete measures to de-escalate tensions and preserve the relative calm achieved following the 2022 truce.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
The UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022 and expired in October that year without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire had largely held for years, significantly reducing large-scale hostilities until the recent escalation. ■
