Mohammed Khaled Al-Khiari pointed to ‘escalatory turn’ in Israeli-Houthi conflict and urged action to reverse dangerous trajectory during a briefing at a UN Security Council meeting called on the request of Israel under the theme "threats to international peace and security" on Monday local time.
The latest round of military escalation after a year of attacks by the Houthis on Israeli targets as well as ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, threaten civilians, regional stability and freedom of maritime navigation, Khiari said during his briefing which was largely in support of the Zionist regime, without mentioning the reasons behind anti-Israel operations by the Yemenis.
He continued by saying that the UN insists on the immediate and unconditional release of all UN staff and other personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis. “I reiterate the Secretary-General's strong concern about the escalation of tension and that international law, including humanitarian law, must be respected by all parties”.
Khiari also cited some of the recent altercations between Yemen on the one hand and the Israeli regime and American forces in the region on the other.
“Since 13 December, the Houthis have claimed at least 11 attacks targeting Israel, using ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles. On 19 December, Israel conducted airstrikes that targeted energy and port infrastructure in the Houthi-controlled ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ra’s Isa as well as Sana’a. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed it was hitting military targets”, he said, adding that nine civilians were reportedly killed.
Highlighting the risks of disruption to vital humanitarian operations “at a time when millions of people in Yemen are in need of life-saving assistance”, he said that Israel's strikes three days ago have reportedly resulted in at least six killed and dozens injured, including a UN Humanitarian Air Service crew member. “We call on all to respect and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Condemning attacks claimed by the Houthis, he also noted that United States forces targeted their military facilities and weapons systems on 16 and 21 December in response to Houthi attacks on ships.
Stressing that “humanitarian workers must be protected at all times”, he reiterated the importance of Council resolution 2722 (2024). “We must do our utmost to reverse this negative trajectory and support comprehensive efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East.”
The attacks in Israel and Yemen, as well as in the Red Sea, are a cause of grave concern and that further military escalation threatens regional stability and exacerbates political, security, economic and humanitarian problems, with consequences for millions of people in Yemen, Israel and across the region, he added.
The Yemeni army and allied Ansarullah Movement launched its anti-Israel operations against the Zionist regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and have repeatedly pledged to continue attacking the regime’s targets until the attack on Gaza ends and siege is lifted.
In support of the Palestinian resistance and the people in Gaza, the Yemeni army has targeted several Israeli ships or ships bound for the occupied territories in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait as well as targets deep inside Israel using drones and missiles.
However, the United States and the UK started their aggression against Yemen under the pretext of UNSC resolution 2722 which only called for the protection of maritime route and never gave a free hand to Washington and London to violate the sovereignty of Yemen with airstrikes.
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