The European Union called for Houthi military operations to stop immediately and urged Iran and other actors to end military support, warning that the escalation is worsening Yemen’s humanitarian emergency.
In a Monday statement issued by the EU’s High Representative on the bloc’s behalf, the EU cited an attack on Al-Maashiq palace in Aden, military activity along Yemen’s west coast and the renewed siege of Taiz. It said attacks on Saudi Arabia targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure, and expressed solidarity with the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia.
The EU estimates that more than 22 million people in Yemen need assistance. It said the Houthi escalation, together with a crisis in access to essential goods and their affordability, is compounding the humanitarian crisis, worsening food insecurity and limiting access to health care and safe water. The bloc called for a humanitarian corridor into Taiz, which it said currently shelters 800,000 to 950,000 civilians, including displaced people.
On Oct. 20, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that civilians faced “grave risk” after Houthi forces closed the only supply route linking Taiz to Aden. The Associated Press has reported that Taiz has been a focal point in the fighting since Yemen’s civil war began more than a decade ago.
The EU endorsed the U.N. special envoy’s mediation toward an inclusive political settlement shaped by Yemenis. It also said it would increase support for Yemen’s government and Presidential Leadership Council. The EU said its 2026 humanitarian assistance for Yemen totals €110 million, as detailed in earlier coverage of the aid allocation.
