The United Nations Security Council adopted a presidential statement on Thursday, October 15, 2026. In it, members “condemned in the strongest terms continued and escalatory Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, among them attacks that hit civilian aviation and energy infrastructure. A presidential statement needs the agreement of all 15 Council members and is read into the record at a formal meeting, giving it more weight than the Council’s press statements of August 7 and September 18.
In the text, the members “expressed their solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of attacks impacting civilians and civilian objects on its territory” and “affirmed the inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of self-defense in accordance with international law.” They cited the strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10 and 11, along with attacks on other airports and on Saudi Aramco facilities, and offered condolences to the victims’ families and to the Saudi government and people.
The statement also renewed the Council’s condemnation of the Houthis’ attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab, and of their threats to it. It stressed the safety of vessels and their crews and respect for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Members called for full implementation of Resolution 2216 of 2015, which includes a targeted arms embargo, and for “practical cooperation, including with the Government of Yemen,” to keep weapons, training and financing out of the group’s reach. They demanded that the Houthis “immediately cease their military escalation in Yemen.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the statement on Friday, October 16, in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. The ministry highlighted the call for full implementation of Resolution 2216 and later resolutions, and for practical cooperation to deny the Houthi militia weapons and other support. It said the Kingdom values the solidarity shown by Council members and stressed the Kingdom’s inherent right, guaranteed by international law, to take every step needed to protect its security, its citizens and its residents.
Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the Yemeni government also welcomed the Council’s position. GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said it affirms the international community’s responsibility to stop these violations. The Council also reaffirmed its support for UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg in his work toward a negotiated, inclusive, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political settlement.
