Amnesty International: Escalating Hostilities Threaten Civilians in Yemen and Saudi Arabia

Amnesty International warned on Wednesday of the escalating risks faced by civilians in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, following the renewal of armed hostilities, increased attacks, and human losses, calling on all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement that the risks threatening civilians in both countries are rapidly increasing with the escalation of the conflict, stressing the need for all parties to refrain from targeting civilians and civilian objects.

Morayef emphasized that the deliberate targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructure, including civilian airports, is prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime, calling on the warring parties to immediately cease direct, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks.

The organization noted that Houthi attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia last week caused damage and casualties, including an attack it said targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds.

It added that the escalation coincided with the return of large-scale armed hostilities within Yemen and their consequences for civilians, especially in coastal areas and around the city of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.

Regarding Yemen, the organization warned that renewed fighting will multiply the suffering of the population amid the severe humanitarian crisis and the consequences of years of conflict, stressing the need to take all possible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects, and to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to those in need.

It pointed out that the escalation included ground clashes between the Houthi group and Yemeni government forces, Houthi attacks on civilian areas, as well as Saudi Arabia's resumption of airstrikes on Yemen.

The organization quoted the UN Human Rights Office as documenting, in late September, the deaths of at least 32 civilians, including 15 children, since August, noting that the actual toll is believed to be higher than the documented figures.

It also noted, based on data from the Yemen Data Project, that at least 66 civilians were killed and 90 others injured by Saudi airstrikes on Yemen.

The organization warned that the escalation is exacerbating a deteriorating humanitarian crisis, with at least 18.3 million people in Yemen suffering from severe food insecurity, while more than 2.2 million children under five and 1.3 million pregnant and nursing women face acute malnutrition, according to UN data.

Amnesty International called on all parties to the conflict to prioritize the protection of civilians, refrain from attacks that endanger their lives, and ensure continued access to food, healthcare, and humanitarian aid for the affected population.