UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has denounced the “escalation” in hostilities between Yemen’s Houthi militants and Israel, calling Israeli strikes on targets including at the airport in Sana’a “especially alarming” after it came under attack while the head of the World Health Organization was about to board a plane.
Israel struck multiple targets linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including the international airport in the capital, Sana’a. Houthi media said at least six people were killed.
The strikes also targeted Red Sea ports, and power stations, injuring a member of the UN Humanitarian Air Crew at the airport.
A high-level UN delegation, led by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at the airport when the strikes occurred, following discussions on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and the release of detained UN personnel.
“Today’s airstrikes follow around a year of escalatory actions by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the region that threaten civilians, regional stability and freedom of maritime navigation,” Stephanie Tremblay, a UN spokesperson, said in a statement.
She added that the UN chief remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation and has urged all parties to cease military actions and exercise restraint.
“He also warns that airstrikes on Red Sea ports and Sana’a airport pose grave risks to humanitarian operations at a time when millions of people are in need of life-saving assistance,” Ms. Tremblay said.
Guterres also emphasised that international law, including humanitarian law as applicable, must be respected at all times, and appealed to all to respect and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Humanitarian relief personnel must not be targeted and must be respected and protected at all times,” the statement read.
Further escalation in the region also continues to undermine the mediation efforts led by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg to reach a negotiated political solution to the conflict in Yemen, it added.
“As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a…the airport came under aerial bombardment,” he wrote.
The strikes damaged the air traffic control tower and the departure lounge, just meters from where Tedros and his team stood.
“We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave. My UN and WHO colleagues and I are safe,” he said, adding condolences to families who lost loved ones in the attack.
