Guterres warns of the “risk of further escalation” in the Middle East after the Israeli bombings in Yemen

MADRID Dec. 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, warned this Thursday of the “risk of further escalation” in the Middle East after the bombings by the Israeli Army against alleged objectives of the Yemeni Houthi rebels that have resulted in around a dozen fatalities.

“Today’s airstrikes follow around a year of escalation by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the region that threaten civilians, regional stability and freedom of maritime navigation,” read a statement.

In this sense, he detailed that the Israeli attacks on ports and power plants in Yemen, which have caused “considerable damage to Red Sea ports that will lead to the immediate reduction of port capacity, have taken place after the Yemeni insurgency launched ballistic missiles that have hit and damaged a school in central Israel.

Guterres, who has shown himself to be “deeply concerned”, has once again urged the parties “to exercise maximum restraint”. Thus, he recalled that “they must comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and respect and protect civilians, as well as civilian infrastructure.”

Likewise, he stressed that “these actions also undermine mediation efforts led by special envoy Hans Grundberg to reach a negotiated political solution to the conflict in Yemen.” Finally, it has reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN and other countries’ personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis.”