Ethiopia accused Eritrea of an “all-out invasion” in a letter to the UN Security Council made public on 9 October, saying Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres into the Tigray region. Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos demanded their withdrawal and invoked Ethiopia’s right to self-defence, while Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said Ethiopia was waging an unprovoked war aimed at seizing the port of Assab. The exchange follows the federal army’s capture of Mekelle, Ethiopian drone strikes on Eritrean troops near Adigrat and the end of diplomatic ties. Taking the dispute to the Security Council moves the conflict closer to an open interstate war on the Red Sea coast.