Beyza Binnur Donmez
13 October 2026•Update: 13 October 2026
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned Tuesday that escalating hostilities in the Middle East could have "disastrous" consequences for tens of millions of people, urging immediate efforts to protect civilians.
"Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
She highlighted recent deaths, injuries, and destruction in Saudi Arabia, warning of the devastating impact of hostilities on civilians.
Deaths, displacement, and damage to civilian infrastructure in Yemen, including in Aden and Sanaa, have been mounting at an "alarming rate," Spoljaric noted.
"Civilians and civilian objects must be spared from attack," she stressed, reminding parties to conflicts of their obligation to distinguish between civilian and military targets.
Spoljaric warned that strikes on ports, airports, and essential infrastructure could have severe consequences for communities dependent on them.
"A further intensification of hostilities would be disastrous for tens of millions of people," she said, calling for urgent de-escalation to prevent further civilian suffering.
Saudi Arabia has faced a series of attacks in recent days on airports and civilian facilities amid an escalating military confrontation with the Yemeni Houthi group.
Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, before a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the country’s internationally recognized government.
The escalation began in July this year following a period of relative calm after a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.
