Yemen: UN chief calls on Israel and Houthi militia to de-escalate

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for de-escalation after renewed Israeli attacks in Yemen. “Today’s Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport, Red Sea ports and power plants in Yemen are particularly alarming,” Guterres said, according to a spokeswoman. According to official information, at least four people were killed. “The Secretary General condemns the escalation between Yemen and Israel,” it said.

According to the Israeli army, the air force attacked Houthi militia infrastructure at the international airport in the capital Sanaa. A team from the World Health Organization led by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also came under fire. Israel accused the Houthi militia of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes, such as smuggling weapons from Iran. The militia has repeatedly attacked Israel with drones and rockets. Like the Islamist Hamas in the embattled Gaza Strip and the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Houthis are allied with Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.

The Israeli airstrikes followed about a year of “escalating actions” by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the region, “which pose a threat to civilians, regional stability and freedom of navigation,” Guterres said. He appealed to everyone to protect the civilian population and civil infrastructure. Air strikes on the Red Sea ports and Sanaa airport would seriously jeopardize humanitarian efforts “at a time when millions of people need life-saving assistance.”