The conflict in Yemen has sharply intensified in recent days, spotlighting both the fractured nature of the Saudi-led coalition and calls for stronger United Nations action to prevent further escalation.

Saudi Arabia’s forces, aligning with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, have launched targeted operations against factions in the country’s south, intensifying a long-running civil war that has already endured for more than a decade.

Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), a group backed by the United Arab Emirates that in recent months seized key territories including the Hadramout and Mahra provinces, has rejected Saudi demands to withdraw and engage in talks in Riyadh.

Instead, STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled to an undisclosed location after failing to attend planned negotiations, prompting Saudi-aligned authorities to strip him of his position and accuse him of high treason and rebellion.

In response to perceived threats posed by STC mobilization, Saudi-led forces have conducted air strikes in the southern province of al-Dhale’a — Zubaidi’s home region — which they described as pre-emptive measures aimed at disrupting destabilizing armed movements.

A separate STC delegation that traveled to Riyadh to discuss de-escalation has reportedly lost contact, compounding tensions and further complicating diplomatic efforts.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces have recaptured key strategic locations, including the port city of Mukalla in Hadramout province after sustained operations supported by Saudi air power.

These developments not only expose the breakdown of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and its former UAE ally but also highlight the fragile state of the anti-Houthi coalition.

External actors and diplomats are increasingly urging the United States and other Security Council members to push for a renewed United Nations resolution that would address the escalating violence, reinforce Yemen’s territorial unity, and press all parties toward a mediated political settlement.

The U.N. has previously adopted a series of resolutions focused mainly on sanctions and maritime security, including demands for cessation of attacks on commercial vessels and extensions of panels monitoring arms flows and sanctions regimes.

With Yemen’s humanitarian crisis continuing and the risk of broader regional instability rising, unity among U.N. member states and stronger diplomatic mechanisms are seen by many observers as essential to stabilizing the situation and supporting a durable political process to end the conflict.