CAIRO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit warned here on Tuesday of the danger of the involvement of the Yemeni Houthi group in attacks that threaten maritime trade in the Red Sea.

During his meeting with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, Aboul-Gheit stressed that the current regional developments require exerting every possible effort to defuse the escalation, according to an AL statement.

Since November last year, the Houthi group has been conducting missile and drone attacks on what it said were "Israeli-linked" ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as targets in Israel, to show solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthis have escalated attacks since the end of September after Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on a building in the southern suburb of Beirut.

Meanwhile, Aboul-Gheit expressed his concern about the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation across Yemen, noting that a political settlement is the only way to restore the country's unity.

No party should monopolize power in Yemen, he said, adding that all components must have a role in the future of the country.

Yemen has been mired in a devastating conflict since 2014. On Sept. 21, 2014, the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in the following year to support the Yemeni government. Enditem

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