UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL ROSEMARY A. DICARLO'S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
New York, 22 July 2024
Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to brief the Council regarding the recent developments in the Middle East region.
On 19 July, an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) struck a residential building in the populated urban center of Tel Aviv.
One Israeli civilian was killed by shrapnel, and ten Israeli civilians were injured and evacuated to hospitals. A fire broke out at the scene and damages were caused to buildings and vehicles by the strike’s impact.
The Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying it was “in retaliation” for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. They announced they had launched a new drone called “Yafa” and further declared that Tel Aviv would now be a primary target.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that its initial assessment identified the UAV as a modified Iranian Samad-3 drone launched from Yemen and that its forces had intercepted another UAV in the same time frame.
The Secretary-General condemned the deadly attack. He “remains deeply concerned about the risk such dangerous acts pose for further escalation in the region.” Since then, however, we have witnessed additional exchanges, making the situation more precarious.
On 20 July, Israel carried out multiple airstrikes in and around Hudaydah Port in Yemen. The IDF spokesperson characterized the strikes as “necessary and proportionate”, against Houthi military targets, including Hudaydah Port, which Israel claimed was used by the Houthis as the main supply route for the transfer of Iranian weapons from Iran to Yemen.
The IDF stated the strikes were in response to previous Houthi “terror attacks” on Israel for the last nine months, which have numbered more than 200 aerial attacks against Israeli civilians and infrastructure.
The IDF further noted that it had operated alone and that this was the first time it struck Yemen. Defence Minister Gallant said in a separate statement that, “The fire that is currently burning in Hudaydah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear.”
Meanwhile, the Houthi military spokesperson characterized the strikes as a “brutal aggression against Yemen,” and said the Houthis would respond to “this blatant aggression” and threatened to strike the “vital targets of the Israeli enemy.”
A preliminary update from the Houthi de facto Ministry of Health indicates 9 deaths, over 80 casualties due to the strikes, as well as considerable damage to civilian infrastructure.
There are no verified figures currently available, and it is not clear how many of the reported casualties are civilians. All UN personnel in Hudaydah are safe and accounted for, and there was no damage to UN premises in Hudaydah.
You will shortly hear from General Beary, Head of the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement.
Minor displacements have also been reported from neighbourhoods near the Hudaydah Port. The extent of damage to the Port remains unclear, and fires are still burning. However, local authorities have advised that the port is functioning at a limited capacity.
Hudaydah port is a lifeline for millions of people in Yemen. Yemen relies heavily on imports of essential items such as food, medicine, and fuel, with the majority of these goods arriving through Hudaydah.
It is essential for the port to be open and operating. Moreover, Hudaydah Port is in a densely populated urban center where thousands of people live. Any military campaign in its vicinity risks having devastating consequences for civilians.
The Secretary-General urged once again, on 20 July, for “all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure.” He “remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint.”
On 21 July, the IDF stated on social media that its Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that approached Israeli territory from Yemen using the "Arrow 3" Aerial Defense System. The projectile did not cross into Israeli territory.
Mr. President,
We have also witnessed a deeply worrying continuation of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line, which as we have stressed repeatedly, risks further regional conflagration.
On 20 July, the Israeli Defence Forces said that 40 rockets, as well as drones, were fired across the Blue Line, injuring two soldiers and igniting fires.
Unconfirmed media reports in Lebanon said that the Israeli Defence Forces struck a Hezbollah munitions depot and a vehicle, with possible injuries and damage to civilian infrastructure.
In addition, this morning this Council heard from the Special Envoy for Syria of the profound risk of regional escalation.
Last week, Israel carried out strikes that the Syrian Government said hit military sites in southern Syria and a residential area in Damascus. Israel said this was in response to the launch of two drones from Syria.
Further strikes attributed to Israel over the past month were reported in Tartous, Damascus, rural Damascus, and near the Lebanese border.
Mr. President,
In Yemen, the fragile gains resulting from the 2022 UN-brokered truce are being eclipsed by violent escalation in the region.
The Houthis continue to launch attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, in contravention of Security Council resolutions 2722 (2024) and 2739 (2024).
Verified incidents are reflected in the written monthly reports of the Secretary-General, based on information received from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). As of today, the IMO has verified 42 Houthi attacks.
The Houthis have also claimed several “joint military operations” with the so-called “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, purportedly in support of the people in the Gaza Strip.
The “Islamic Resistance” group is also believed to have launched a drone attack against a base in Iraq hosting personnel of the International Coalition to fight ISIS – the first such attack since February.
At the same time, Israeli military operations have intensified across Gaza in recent weeks, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Palestinian armed groups in Gaza continued to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israeli population centers.
Mr. President,
These latest developments show the real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.
As the Secretary-General said on 21 June “the risk for the conflict in the Middle East to widen is real and must be avoided.
One rash move, one miscalculation could trigger a catastrophe that goes far beyond the borders and, frankly, beyond imagination.”
On Gaza, the Secretary-General has been very clear: “we need an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and an unconditional release of hostages.” And we need all the parties to recommit to a political horizon towards the two-State solution.
On the Blue Line, I echo the Secretary-General in calling on the parties “to urgently recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities.”
Furthermore, allow me to reiterate the Secretary-General’s remarks that “attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable as they endanger the safety and security of global supply chains and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation worldwide.”
Mr. President,
Allow me to close with a few words on the issue of detained personnel in Yemen.
We remain profoundly concerned about the well-being of Yemeni personnel from the United Nations, national and international non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions, and civil society that are arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities.
We urge the de facto authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all of them. And we further request that they are treated with full respect for their human rights, and that they are afforded the ability to contact their families and legal representatives.
The Secretary-General and other senior UN officials continue to work through all possible channels to secure the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained.
Thank you, Mr. President.