UN Chief warns of escalation risk after Israeli raids on Yemen

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “deep” concern on Sunday over the potential for further escalation in the Middle East following Israeli raids on the port of Al Hudaydah in western Yemen.

“The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint,” stated the office of his special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.

He called on all concerned parties “to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure.”

Civilian toll rises in Yemen

According to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, at least 6 people were killed and 87 others injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting the port of Al Hudaydah, its fuel tanks, and its power station on Saturday.

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the raids, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing them as a “direct response” to a drone attack launched by the Houthi group on Tel Aviv on Friday, which killed an Israeli and injured 10 others.

The Houthis have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or headed to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where more than 38,900 people have been killed in a deadly Israeli offensive since October 7, 2023.