New Saudi airstrikes in Yemen raises international condemnations

Tabnak – Indifferent to numerous international criticisms, Saudi Arabia is continuing its strikes against Yemen. The latest wave of Saudi airstrikes has caused the death of tens of civilians, including a dozen of women. Iran has once again strictly condemned Saudi acts in Yemen. 

Aljazeera reported on late Sunday that At least eight women and two girls heading home from a wedding have been killed in an air attack in central-west Yemen. It is reported the women’s vehicle was struck by three Saudi-led coalition air raids late on Saturday. 

The attack reportedly took place at around 11pm local time (20:00 GMT) in the Harib al-Qaramish district of the Marib governorate, east of the capital, Sanaa, where the wedding had taken place. 

Reacting to the report, Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned recent Saudi airstrikes on residential areas across Yemen. In a statement on Sunday, Bahram Qassemi denounced the Saudi strikes against a wedding ceremony in the central province of Ma’arib as well as residential areas and shopping malls in different cities in Yemen. 

Expressing condolences to the families of victims, the spokesman noted that increased bombardment of residential areas, continuation of the siege, and the closure of maritime, ground, and air borders, besides depriving Yemenis from having access to humanitarian aid and basic needs by Saudi rulers show the disappointment, and repeated failure of this country in achieving its goals of attacking Yemen. 

Qassemi also criticized the international community’s silence over Saudi war crimes that are committed using US-made weapons, saying that attacks on residential areas and civilian targets, and the denial of access to international relief agencies and bodies are obvious violations of the fundamental principles of humanitarian law. 

Meanwhile, a UK minister also criticized Saudi Arabia over its actions in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has “no excuse” for blocking aid to Yemen, the international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said as she warned that “using starvation as a weapon” was a breach of humanitarian law. 

The UK is set to provide an emergency £50m aid package to help feed millions of Yemeni people caught in what she called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”. On a visit to Djibouti and Saudi Arabia, Mordaunt promised food vouchers for 3.4 million Yemenis for one month, 106,000 tons of grain, and fuel to keep hospitals running and pump clean water. 

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been pounding Yemen where more than 12,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The UN has listed Yemen as the world’s No. 1 humanitarian crisis, with 7 million people on the brink of famine, where more than 2,000 people have also died of cholera this year.