YEMEN risks being dragged further into the military escalation in the Middle East that keeps intensifying and could spiral out of control, the United Nations special envoy for the Arab world’s poorest nation has said.

Hans Grundberg told the UN security council on Tuesday that regrettably Yemen is part of the escalation — and he warned that repeated attacks on international shipping by its Houthi-led government “have significantly increased the risk of an environmental disaster” in the Red Sea.

Both Mr Grundberg and the UN’s acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya urged the Yemenis to halt their attacks on international shipping, which they began in support of the Palestinians after Israel began its retaliation after the Hamas attack on October 7 in Gaza.

The UN officials also demanded the release of dozens of UN personnel, staff of non-governmental organisations and diplomatic missions, and members of civil society, most detained since June.

Ms Msuya called the Yemenis’ recent referral of a significant number of those detained for “criminal prosecution” unacceptable and accusations against them false. 

She said three are UN personnel, two from the Paris-based UN educational, scientific and cultural organisation and one from the Geneva-based UN human rights office. 

The Yemenis say those being held were members of what they called an “American-Israeli spy network,” an allegation denied by the UN, NGO organisations and governments.