Grundberg meets Houthis in Muscat, urges them to pave the way for a political process

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said on Sunday evening that he had concluded a visit to Muscat, where he met with Omani officials and Houthi leaders. At a time when the Houthi militias' fears of an escalation aimed at ending their control are escalating.

According to the UN envoy's office - on the X platform - the UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg concluded his visit to Muscat on Sunday, where he met with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of senior Omani officials, as well as the head of the Houthi militia negotiating delegation, Mohammed Abdul Salam.

The UN envoy said he discussed with Omani officials "concerted efforts to promote peace in Yemen."

During his meeting with Houthi leaders, Grundberg said he "urged concrete measures to pave the way for a political process."

1/2 UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg concluded a visit to Muscat today, where he met with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs @KhalifaAlharthy and a number of senior Omani officials, and discussed with them concerted efforts to promote peace in Yemen.

- @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) January 5, 2025

The UN envoy stressed the importance of de-escalation, "including the immediate and unconditional release of detained UN staff, civil society and diplomatic missions, as a necessary step to demonstrate commitment to peace efforts."

For its part, the Omani Foreign Ministry reported - on the X platform - that the Undersecretary of the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Khalifa Al-Harthi, reviewed with "Grundberg" the developments in the region and the latest developments in the Yemeni issue and the efforts made to reach a political solution to it.

📸 | His Excellency Sheikh received@KhalifaAlharthy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs this morning, His Excellency Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Yemen. During the meeting, developments in the region, the latest developments in the Yemeni issue, and the efforts made to reach a political solution were reviewed. pic.twitter.com/672AdLnbyX

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@FMofOman) January 5, 2025

For weeks, the Houthis have been gathering in the media for armed demonstrations as part of what they called the "general mobilization to confront the enemies," after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the collapse of the Iranian axis in the region during the military confrontation with the Israeli occupation.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have escalated their attacks in the Red Sea and targeted Israel with missiles. In return, the Israeli occupation carried out aggressive raids targeting vital facilities and infrastructure, in addition to American raids targeting Sana'a and Hodeidah.