Yemen’s govt condemns Israeli airstrikes on Hodeidah, calls for int’l action

Aden (Yemen), July 22 (IANS) The Yemeni government has denounced Israeli airstrikes on the country’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, describing the military action as “a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty”.
According to the state-run Saba News Agency, an official source within the Yemeni government condemned the Israeli “aggression” as a clear breach of international laws and norms, emphasising that Israel would be held fully accountable for any consequences stemming from the airstrikes, including the potential exacerbation of the existing humanitarian crisis in the country.The Yemeni government official also expressed concern that the attacks could strengthen the position of the Houthi group, which has maintained control over Hodeidah since October 2014, bolstering what he described as “misleading propaganda narratives” propagated by the Houthis, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.According to the report, Yemen has formally appealed to the international community and the United Nations Security Council to take action to preserve global peace and security.The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that Israeli airstrikes on Hodeidah on Saturday evening killed six and wounded 83 others.Following the Israeli strikes, the Houthis vowed to launch retaliatory attacks.The bombing of Hodeidah is part of an ongoing conflict that escalated in November last year when the Houthis began launching ballistic missile and drone attacks on ships with Israeli connections in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthi group has said that these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.–IANSint/khz