Iran has strongly condemned a Saudi military attack against a marketplace in the Yemeni city of al-Hudaydah, which killed 26 civilians.
The Friday attack, which also wounded 10 other Yemenis in the western city, was followed by flyovers by Saudi warplanes that were meant to keep medical staff off the premises, Press TV reported.
Speaking on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi lambasted the increase in Saudi military strikes against residential areas and civilian targets in Yemen.
“It behooves the United Nations and other international organizations to responsibly address the issue of Yemeni civilians’ carnage through aerial attacks,” Qassemi said. “They should employ all their efforts to immediately stop such attacks and implement the measures required to preserve the health and security of civilians [there], especially women and children.”
Later, footage appeared of the aftermath of the Hudaydah attack, showing the area being strewn with bodies charred and mutilated beyond recognition.
Saudi Arabia has been pounding Yemen since March 2015. Over 12,000 have died since the onset of the invasion, which was launched in an unsuccessful attempt to bring Yemen’s former Riyadh-allied government back to power.
Qassemi also condemned Saudi Arabia’s continued denial of access by responsible international organizations and institutions to the afflicted areas.
On Friday, an attacker threw an improvised explosive device at people in the Mudhaykhirah District of the southwestern Yemeni Ibb Province, killing five people, including a child, and injuring 15 others.
Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported that the attacker was subsequently hunted down and killed by civilians in the area.
Meanwhile, a vessel enlisted with the Saudi coalition waging war on Yemen hit a naval mine in the Red Sea, The Associated Press reported, citing security officials.
The incident killed two sailors and wounded eight, including the ship’s captain.
Source: Iranian media
