The United Nations has called on all parties in Yemen to reduce tensions and resolve their differences through dialogue, warning that renewed military escalation could undermine efforts to achieve peace in the country.
Khaled Khiari, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, made the appeal on Monday during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on developments in Yemen, according to the UN web site.
The meeting came shortly after Yemen’s Houthi group said in a video statement by its military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, that it had targeted Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia with several ballistic missiles and drones. The group said the attack was in response to strikes on Sanaa International Airport.
Addressing the Security Council, Khiari referred to recent developments in Yemen, including reports that an Iranian aircraft flew from Tehran to Sanaa International Airport on 3 July before returning to Iran, as well as other “concerning developments” on the ground.
He added that reports also said another Iranian aircraft landed at Hodeidah Airport in western Yemen on Monday carrying a Houthi delegation returning from Tehran. The flight came after air strikes on Sanaa International Airport that the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia.
