UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate end to hostilities in Yemen amid a rise in the number of civilian fatalities caused by Saudi airstrikes.
Ban, in a statement released on Wednesday, asked all parties to the conflict to immediately cease all hostilities and for the Yemeni parties to return to direct talks facilitated by his special envoy for Yemen.
Riyadh has dramatically stepped up its air raids inYemen, especially Sana'a,ever sincepeace talks in Kuwait between representatives of the Saudi-backedformer government andHouthiswere suspended on August 6.
The UN chief reminded all parties of the utmost necessity to protect civilians and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Ban further condemned the loss of at least nine civilian lives in a recent Saudi aerial attack against the Nihm district east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, but hedid not name the kingdom in his criticism.
Civilians, including children, are paying the heaviest price in the ongoing conflict, as civilian infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, continue to be hit, he said.
The attack cameless than 48 hours afterMedical aid group Doctors Without Borders(MSF) saidSaudi airstrikes on a school in the northernprovince of Saada had killed 10 children.
The UN chief has already taken flak for dropping Saudi Arabia from a list of children's rights violators after coming under "undue pressure."
On Wednesday, the Ansarullah spokesman held Saudi Arabia responsible for the stalemate and rising deaths in Yemen, saying the Houthimovement had given a series of concessions but the opposite side was sticking to its uncompromising ways.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, in a post published on his Twitter account, said Ansarullah had decided to change itstactics and "firmly stand by the Yemeni nation."
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Workers collect human remains at the yard of a hospital after it was hit by a Saudi airstrike in the Abs district of Hajjah Province, Yemen, August 16, 2016. Reuters[/caption]On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia kept on attacking new positions across Yemen. Yemeni reports said warplaneshadcarried out nearly 50 airstrikes against various neighborhoods across the Saadaprovince in a span of 24 hours.
At least three people lost their lives and eight others sustained injuries on Wednesday evening when aSaudi jetstruck a residential building in Majz district.
Saudi warplanes also launched two airstrikes against the Kahlan military base, and another against non-operational Sanaa International Airport.
Furthermore, Saudi aircraft struckSahar and?aydan districts inSaadaProvince.
Yemen has been under Saudi military strikes since late March 2015 in a bidto reinstate Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who has stepped down as Yemens president but is now seeking to grab power by force.
According to UN, the conflict in Yemen has damaged or demolished more than 70 health centers, including three MSFfacilities.
By Press TV
