UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on October 9 that Yemen had slid back into full-scale war over recent weeks. Fighting spread from the Bab al-Mandab coast into the highlands west and south of Taiz and across Lahj, followed by a large government counteroffensive. The UN says military gains cannot replace negotiations and called for civilian protection and a credible Yemeni-owned political process. The humanitarian environment is also deteriorating, while 72 UN personnel remain detained by the Houthis. For shipping and regional operators, Bab al-Mandab security, inland supply routes and insurance risk are again part of one chain.