The Humanity Eye Center for Human Rights and Development has condemned the military escalation witnessed in the capital Sana'a on Friday, which included the targeting of four buildings at Sana'a International Airport, along with a number of factories, economic, and civilian facilities.
The center warned of the humanitarian and economic repercussions of targeting production facilities and sources of livelihood in light of the difficult living conditions the country is experiencing.
In a statement issued Saturday, the center explained that preliminary information indicates the martyrdom of two people and the injury of two citizens as a result of targeting Sana'a International Airport buildings, in addition to damage to civilian and production facilities in various areas of the capital.
It considered that these developments raise serious concerns about the safety of civilians and the protection of civilian objects amid the continuation of military escalation.
The statement indicated that the criminal Saudi targeting included a snack factory in the Amran roundabout, a salt packaging factory in the Jadr area of Bani Al-Harith district, a building materials warehouse in the same district, and a sponge factory in the Shamlan area, where a fire broke out due to the targeting.
The center also noted the targeting of the "Samaa Al-Nahda" building materials warehouse in the Al-Jamnah area of Bani Al-Harith district, in a series of attacks that targeted civilian economic and production facilities.
It affirmed that targeting these facilities raises concerns beyond the direct material damage to buildings, equipment, and production lines, extending to threatening the lives of workers and civilians, harming the income sources of hundreds of families, reducing job opportunities, and disrupting economic activities on which citizens depend to secure their basic needs.
It noted that the targeted factories are linked to production and service activities that affect the daily lives of citizens, from food industries and salt packaging to building materials and sponges.
This makes the damage from targeting them have direct repercussions on workers, facility owners, suppliers, and families that depend on these activities to secure their livelihoods.
Economic and Humanitarian Repercussions
The Humanity Eye Center stressed that the continued targeting of civilian production facilities would exacerbate economic and livelihood burdens, lead to a decline in local production capacity, and increase the difficulty of providing job opportunities and income.
This is in addition to its potential repercussions on supply chains and local markets, especially given the humanitarian and economic conditions Yemen is suffering from.
It stated that damaging the economy or civilian property does not constitute a legal justification for targeting them, noting that assessing the legality of any attack requires verifying the nature of the target, the circumstances surrounding the operation, and the extent to which the conditions set by international humanitarian law are met.
It expressed deep concern over the targeting of Sana'a International Airport and the resulting human losses and damage to its buildings. It stressed the necessity of investigating the circumstances of the attack, determining the nature of the targeted objects, inventorying human and material damage, and verifying the operation's compliance with the legal rules governing the conduct of military operations.
The center called for independent and transparent investigations into all incidents that targeted production and economic facilities, accurate documentation of losses, verification of the nature of the targeted objectives and the circumstances accompanying those Saudi crimes, and accountability for anyone proven responsible for committing violations of international humanitarian law.
It warned that the repeated targeting of factories and warehouses of basic materials threatens to disrupt the production cycle, weakens the ability of local facilities to continue their activity, and exposes their workers to losing their jobs and sources of income. This doubles the burdens on Yemeni families and deepens the humanitarian and economic repercussions of the conflict.
The Saudi airstrikes on Sana'a International Airport and civilian factories and warehouses represent a continuation of the Saudi-led aggression systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure in Yemen. These attacks violate international humanitarian law, which prohibits targeting civilian objects and requires parties to distinguish between civilian and military objectives.
The targeting of Sana'a International Airport, a critical civilian facility, disrupts humanitarian flights and the movement of civilians and goods. The airport has been a repeated target of Saudi airstrikes throughout the aggression, despite its importance for humanitarian operations.
