UN urges restraint after deadly Israeli strike on Yemen

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about a possible wider escalation in the Middle East

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a halt to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, urging all sides to exercise restraint following Saturday’s large-scale Israeli air raid on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

The air raid was a response to Yemeni Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked civilian vessels and long-range missile and drone strikes on Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The attack on Hodeidah killed at least three people and injured about 87 more, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported early Sunday, citing the Ministry of Health which operates in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Guterres “is deeply concerned about the reports of airstrikes earlier today in and around the port of Hodeidah in Yemen,” according to a statement from his spokesperson published on the UN website.

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“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,” the statement says.

Guterres “remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint,” the note adds.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that Hodeidah's port was being used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran. West Jerusalem and its principal rival exchanged airstrikes earlier in the year, prompting fears of a wider escalation in the Middle East.

Additionally, Netanyahu mentioned the recent drone strike on Tel Aviv, which left one person dead and at least ten injured. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, stating their new drone is capable of “bypassing the enemy’s interception systems.”

The Houthis, a Shia Islamist group which controls a large part of civil-war-torn Yemen, have been attacking Israel-linked commercial shipping in the Red Sea since October. They have vowed to continue for as long as the Israeli military operation against Gaza persists.