International concern escalated and calls to stop the escalation in Yemen continued after the raids that the Houthis accused the coalition of launching on a detention center in the northern province of Saada, which they said killed 70 people.
The Saudi-led coalition denied targeting a detention center in Saada, and said it would brief the United Nations and the Red Cross on the facts and details.
In turn, the United Nations condemned the coalition raids and demanded prompt investigations into the attack.
For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross said that facilities used for detention in Saada Governorate, Yemen, were attacked, killing and wounding more than 100 detainees.
The Committee expressed its deep concern over the intensification of hostilities over the past few days, including the attacks that targeted cities in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
It also called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to spare the blood of civilians, and to preserve the facilities and infrastructure necessary for the survival of the population.
The American position
In the same context, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the escalation in Yemen is a source of great concern to his country.
In a statement, Blinken referred to the attack by coalition forces on a detention center, and called on all parties to de-escalate and commit to a peaceful diplomatic solution to end the conflict.
For its part, the US State Department said that Blinken had made a call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in which he condemned the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
According to the State Department, Blinken renewed Washington’s commitment to helping Gulf partners improve their defense capabilities, stressing the importance of mitigating harm to civilians.
very upset
In turn, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy expressed his deep dismay at the coalition’s air strikes on what he called civilian targets in Yemen over the past two days.
Murphy said that civilians are the ones who suffer from the continuation of the war, pointing to the possibility of hundreds of deaths of innocent people after the targeting of a prison, a communications center and a football stadium in coalition raids.
The US senator called for an end to the war, saying that the only way to achieve this was for all parties to sit at the negotiating table.
Murphy also stressed the need for a halt to fighting and air strikes to alleviate human suffering and give diplomacy space to succeed, he said.
vicious circle
As for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, he called for a halt to the escalation in Yemen and an end to what he described as a vicious cycle that exacerbates the situation.
Guterres added that Yemen needs a ceasefire, the opening of ports and airports, and the start of a serious dialogue to resolve the crisis.
The United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement also expressed its deep concern over the recent military attacks in the coastal city of Hudaydah, western Yemen, which resulted in deaths and injuries.
The mission called on the parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligations towards the protection of civilians in order to avoid causing further injuries and loss of life.
disinformation
In this context, the Saudi writer and political analyst Munif Ammash Al-Harbi said that accusing the coalition of bombing the detention center in Saada Governorate is a media misleading, as he put it.
In a previous Al-Jazeera bulletin, Al-Harbi added that what is happening is “an Iranian aggression against the Gulf states that stems from Yemen, and these countries have the right to defend themselves,” he said.
As for the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information of the Houthis, Nasr Al-Din Amer, he said that the Yemenis are forced to defend themselves, in reference to the recent strikes on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Amer said that these strikes put the Yemeni issue at the forefront of the world scene, and that the whole world is talking about the need for peace in Yemen.
Constant raids
And media affiliated with the Houthi group announced that coalition warplanes raided on Friday evening Sanaa airport and a communications center in Amran governorate.
For its part, the coalition said that the Saudi defenses destroyed a ballistic missile that was fired towards the city of Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.