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Israeli strikes on Yemen port ‘possible war crime’: HRW
The July 20 attack on the western port city of Hodeida came a day after the Yemen’s Armed Forces claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, AFP reported.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Tel Aviv strike that killed one person could also constitute a war crime.
The Israeli response decimated the Hodeida port’s fuel storage capacity and killed at least nine people.
HRW said “at least six civilians” were killed in the strikes which “reportedly injured at least 80 others”.
The rights group noted that the Hodeida port “is critical for delivering food and other necessities to the Yemeni population”.
The damage “could have a long-term impact on millions of Yemenis who rely on the port for food and humanitarian aid”, it said.
The strikes “damaged or destroyed at least 29 of the 41 oil storage tanks at Hodeida port, as well as the only two cranes used for loading and unloading supplies from ships,” HRW said.
It added that the attack also forced the Hodeida power plant offline for 12 hours.
“The attacks appeared to cause disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian objects. Serious violations of the laws of war committed willfully, that is deliberately or recklessly, are war crimes,” HRW said.
In November the Yemen’s Ansarullah movement began attacking Israeli-bound ships in the Red Sea, a campaign they have said is meant to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The resistance movement has also launched strikes on other Israeli port towns since the Israel’s war on Gaza began in October.
The Israeli strikes on Hodeida risk worsening conditions for millions of Yemenis, HRW said.
“Yemenis are already enduring widespread hunger after a decade-long conflict. These attacks will only exacerbate their suffering,” said Niku Jafarnia, HRW’s Yemen and Bahrain researcher.