Saudi Jets Continue Bombing Sana’a Airport

The Saudi-led coalition resumed its indiscriminate air strikes on several areas across Yemen for the 41st day on Tuesday, and hit the international airport in the capital Sana’a.

Saudi warplanes bombed Sana’a international airport on Tuesday despite UN calls for an end to the kingdom’s bombing of the airport so that humanitarian aids can be delivered to the people in need in the impoverished country.

On Monday, the UN urged the Saudi-led coalition to stop bombing Sana’a International Airport that has hindered the delivery of the humanitarian aids to the nation.

Promoting the aid operation in Yemen, the United Nations urged the Saudi-led coalition, which is carrying out airstrikes against Yemen, to stop bombing the capital’s airport, said the UN relief coordinator for the country.

“Without access to the airports, aid agencies are unable to bring in staff, vital supplies of medicines and other critical life-saving assistance, or undertake medical evacuations of their personnel,” Johannes van der Klaauw said.

“I strongly urge the coalition to stop targeting Sana’a International Airport and to preserve this important lifeline – and all other airports and seaports – so that humanitarians can reach all those affected by the armed conflict in Yemen,” the UN official added.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the last week’s strikes by the coalition rendered it impossible for airplanes to take off or land on the runways of the airport.

Earlier today, the Saudi-led coalition fighter jets bombed the districts of Mualla and Khormaksar in the Yemeni province of Aden.

Also, Saudi warplanes launched nearly 50 rockets on civilian areas in the Northern Yemeni province of Sa’ada, and claimed the lives of scores of people.

Earlier in the day, Sahar district in Sa’ada was also bombed in the kingdom’s air raids.

Meantime, Saudi troops fired artillery shells at Dhaher district in Sa’ada province, leaving scores of civilians dead and injured.

Elsewhere in Yemen, the Saudi artillery units shelled several areas in Harad district in Hajjah province, and killed more civilians.

Saudi Arabia shuts Najran Airport

Saudi Arabia halted all flights to and from Najran airport as the Yemeni tribal fighters have intensified their retaliatory attacks against the Arab Gulf kingdom’s troops at the Saudi border city of Najran on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia halted all flights to and from Najran airport “until further notice”, reports said.

Earlier today, Yemeni tribal troops launched several mortar rounds at Saudi border city of Najran in retaliation for the bombardment of their tribes by the Saudi soldiers in the last several days.

The Yemeni tribesmen fired at least 10 mortar rounds at Saudi Southwestern city of Najran.

The retaliatory attack came after Saudi troops fired artillery shells against the civilians at border areas and killed large groups of people.

Cross-border skirmishes between the Saudi troops and Yemeni tribes have flared up over the last four weeks, as the monarchy’s airstrikes continue and have so far claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, particularly at border areas.

Riyadh launched its airstrikes against Yemen on March 26 without a UN’s mandate. Saudi Arabia aims to undermine the Ansarullah popular fighters and restore power to fugitive President Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

On April 21, Riyadh announced the end of its military operations, but airstrikes have continued with Saudi bombers targeting different areas across the country in a new phase.

The monarchy’s aerial bombardments have so far claimed the lives of at least 3,163 people, mostly women and children.

Human Rights Commission urges stop to crimes in Yemen

On the other hand, the Iran-based ‘Islamic Human Rights Commission’ in a letter to different human rights bodies throughout the world called for collective efforts to halt the Saudi-led aggression and crimes against Yemen.

The letter written by the International Section of the Commission, reminded the violation of different international laws by the aggressive regimes and military forces, including the violation of the principle of non-aggression and non-intervention in other countries and avoiding attacks on the civilian population as well as the invading forces’ crimes against humanity and war crimes in Yemen.

Stressing that based on article one of the Geneva Convention, the human rights should be respected all across the world, the letter called for an immediate halt to crimes against the Yemeni people and removal of obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

The letter called on all active national human rights bodies to pressure their governments to act upon their responsibility for assuring respect for human rights.

In a relevant statement yesterday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the medical charity group, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) voiced concern over the Saudi air raids on Yemen and its blockade of aid deliveries to the Muslim Arab nation.

The Geneva-based humanitarian institution and the French-founded medical charity group – known in English as Doctors Without Borders – issued a joint statement on Monday, and rapped the Saudi invasion of Yemen.

The statement said Saudi strikes on the airports in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a and the strategic Red Sea city of Hudayda caused severe damage, “obstructing delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance and movement of humanitarian personnel”.

The International Red Cross and the MSF also said the disruption of Yemen’s key logistic infrastructure, such as airports, sea ports, bridges and roads, “are having alarming consequences on the civilian population, and the humanitarian situation has now become catastrophic”.

“Sana’a airport was an essential civilian infrastructure, and the main lifeline to supply essential humanitarian goods and services,” said Cedric Schweizer, who heads a team of 250 ICRC staff in Yemen.

The ICRC official also said that “harsh restrictions” on imports to Yemen, along with “the extreme fuel shortages, have made the daily lives of Yemenis unbearable, and their suffering immense.”

Meanwhile, Marie Elisabeth Ingres, who heads the MSF mission in Yemen, stated that “the destruction of Sana’a runway means that countless lives are now more at risk,” adding, “We can no longer afford to stand and watch as people are forced to drink unsafe water and children die of preventable causes.”

The two international humanitarian organizations also called for an end to the attacks on Yemen’s “vital lifelines” and to allow the Yemeni civil aviation authority to receive “the chance to repair the airports, so that humanitarian assistance can be sent” to the country.

The organizations further demanded “that robust and unobstructed channels for the provision of humanitarian assistance be opened and respected by all parties to the conflict”.

The statement comes as Saudi Arabia on April 28 forced a third Iranian cargo plane with some 10 tons of medicines and 13 doctors for the crisis-hit people in Yemen to return. The Iranian aircraft was unable to land at the Sana’a airport, as Saudi warplanes were pounding the runway of the civil airport.

 

FNA

R.S