The United Nations is concerned over the latest escalation of the Yemen conflict after this weekend's drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said during a press briefing on Monday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2019) The United Nations is concerned over the latest escalation of the Yemen conflict after this weekend's drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said during a press briefing on Monday."We are concerned over the recent escalation of violence in different parts of Yemen and the missile attacks against civilian infrastructure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Such escalations imperil the prospects for peace," Haq told reporters.
On Sunday, a drone strike targeted the parking area at the airport, killing one person and injuring eight others, local media reports said.
The spokesman called on all parties to avoid any further escalation and reiterated the UN's commitment to supporting the peace process through the work of its Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.
"We urge both parties to re-engage in the political process and on the implementation of the Stockholm agreement," Haq added.
Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen have claimed previous attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a June 12 missile strike on the Abha airport that injured 26 people, including children.
The Saudi-led coalition has been engaged in the civil war in Yemen since March 2015, when it started to carry out airstrikes against the Houthis at the request of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people - over 80 percent of the country's population - currently in need of aid.
In December 2018, for the first time in several years, the parties to the conflict in Yemen met face-to-face in Stockholm for a meeting organized by the United Nations. They managed to reach a number of important agreements, in particular, to implement a ceasefire, exchange prisoners and open humanitarian corridors in the port city of Al Hudaydah.
