UN chief 'deeply concerned' by Israeli aggression on Yemen

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
21 Jul 2024 12:22
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses ongoing worry about the risk of further escalation in the region.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference on the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in 2022. (UN)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over reports of Israeli airstrikes targeting the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.

In a statement released by the UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson, Guterres urged all parties to avoid actions that could harm civilians and damage essential infrastructure.

"Initial reports indicate a number of fatalities and over 80 people injured in this attack, and that there has been considerable damage to civilian infrastructure. The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure," he stressed.

Guterres also said that he continues to be worried about the potential for further escalation in the region, urging everyone to exercise the highest level of restraint.

The statement comes in response to the recent Israeli airstrikes that targeted fuel depots in the port city of Hodeidah and struck fuel tanks at the Ras Khatib power plant, situated on Yemen's Red Sea coast.

In the latest toll announced by the Yemeni Ministry of Health, the Israeli aggression resulted in the killing of three individuals and left 87 injured.

It is noteworthy that the spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces confirmed the "attacking of targets in Yemen," stating that the Israeli raids were "a response to hundreds of Yemeni attacks against Israel over the past months."

Hezbollah: New, dangerous phase after Israeli 'foolish' Yemen attack

Hezbollah affirmed on Saturday that the Israeli aggression against Yemen is a continuation of the American-British aggression against the Arab country.

In a statement, the Resistance said that the attack was backed and supported by the United States, emphasizing that "the foolish step taken by the Zionist enemy signals a new and dangerous phase of a highly significant confrontation in the region."

Hezbollah extended condolences to the "free and honorable Yemeni people and its brave and wise leadership" over the martyrs who ascended in the Israeli bombing, adding that "the aggression underscores the utmost importance of [the] support fronts across the region and their great role in defending the Palestinian people."

"The aggression will not pass without a harsh and deterrent response," Hezbollah concluded.

Palestinian Resistance groups also condemned the Israeli aggression, confirming that an attack on Yemen will not deter the country's nation, which has been growing stronger despite still being under a decade-long ongoing war.

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas condemned "the heinous Zionist aggression against the sovereignty of the brotherly Republic of Yemen," which resulted "in many martyrs and injuries among civilians."

Hamas described in a statement the aggression as "Zionist arrogance and a dangerous escalation, a desperate attempt to dissuade the free Resistance forces in our nation from performing their sacred duty on the path to al-Quds and the oppressed Palestinian people who are facing a Nazi-like extermination war."

The group affirmed "its full solidarity with the brotherly Yemeni people and the Ansar Allah group, and we mourn their martyrs and appreciate their courageous positions and decisive decision to provide all means of support and backing to our oppressed Palestinian people."

It held the Israeli occupation and the United States full responsibility for the escalation in the region.

Hamas also called "on all countries and forces of our Arab and Islamic nation to condemn this fascist aggression, unite, mobilize powers, and engage in confronting this usurping Zionist entity until it is expelled from the land of Palestine and our occupied Arab lands, and protect our Islamic and Christian holy sites, foremost among them the Holy al-Aqsa Mosque."

For its part, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement condemned "the criminal Zionist aggression against the Yemeni people," which targeted "civilian installations".

The group pointed out that "this new Zionist crime confirms that this criminal entity poses a threat not only to the Palestinian people."

Similarly, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine strongly condemned "the brutal Zionist aggression on Yemen," affirming that "it will not pass without a harsh and deterrent response."

Also in its statement, the Palestinian Resistance Committees asserted that "the aggression on Yemen is an aggression against all components of the nation."