Yemen: Israeli port attack may be war crime

(Beirut) Israel Airstrike Yemen The attack on the port of Hodeidah on the evening of July 20, 2024, was clearly an unlawful, indiscriminate, or disproportionate attack on civilians that could have long-term consequences for the millions of Yemenis who rely on the port for food and humanitarian aid, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Israeli strikes came a day after a Houthi drone attack on a residential area in Tel Aviv, in an attack that may amount to a war crime, killed one civilian and wounded four others. The Israeli airstrikes killed at least six civilians and reportedly wounded at least six others. Other 80 peopleAttacked more than 20 oil storage tanks and two ship cranes at the port of Hodeidah in northwestern Yemen, as well as a power plant in the Saleef district of Hodeidah. These attacks appear to have caused disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian objects. This is a serious violation of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s regulations. Laws of War Acts committed intentionally or recklessly War crimes.

“Israel’s strike on Hodeidah in retaliation for the Houthi attack on Tel Aviv could have lasting consequences for the millions of Yemenis in Houthi-controlled areas,” he said. Nicu JafagnaYemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch. “After a decade of conflict, the Yemeni people are already suffering from hunger. These attacks will only exacerbate their suffering.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed 11 people about the Hodeidah attack, including a Houthi official in Yemen’s oil industry and four UN agency staff with knowledge of the port. Human Rights Watch also analyzed satellite imagery of the attack site and photos of possible weapon remnants collected by the nongovernmental organization Human Rights Campaign. Human Rights Watch submitted preliminary findings to Israeli authorities on July 31 and to the Houthis on August 7. Neither side responded.

The Israeli strikes killed Yemeni oil company employees Ahmed Abdullah Moussa Gillan, Salah Abdullah Mukbir Salari, Abdul Bari Mohammad Yusuf Ezzi, Nabil Nasir Abdullah, Abu Bakr Hussein Abdullah Fakih and Idris Daoud Hassan Ahmed. strike Yevgeny Ferder, 50, was killed in an apartment building in Tel Aviv.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari explain The drone used by the Houthis is the Iranian-made Samad-3 drone. The guidance and targeting capabilities of the Samad-3 Not sureThe Houthis did not indicate they were attacking military targets, but statement They attacked a “vital target,” possibly a nearby branch of the U.S. Embassy.

The Houthis’ attacks intentionally or indiscriminately harmed civilians and civilian objects, which may constitute war crimes. In recent months, the Houthis have indiscriminately fired missiles at Israeli port towns. Eilat and Haifa.

Human Rights Watch found that Israeli forces damaged or destroyed at least 29 of the 41 oil storage tanks at the port of Hodeidah, as well as the only two cranes used to load and unload cargo from ships. The airstrikes also destroyed oil tanks connected to the Hodeidah power plant, causing the plant to shut down. Stop operation for 12 hours.

The debris collected by the human rights group at the scene bore the markings of the American manufacturing company Woodward and matched other debris from the GBU-39 series of bombs made by Boeing of the United States. The GBU-39 is known as the “Small Diameter Bomb” and is a guided air-dropped munition.

Human Rights Watch also wrote to Woodward and Boeing on August 14, but has not yet received a response. reply(CS1) .

The port of Hodeidah is crucial for delivering food and other essential goods to Yemenis who rely on imports. About 70% of Yemen’s commercial imports and 80% of humanitarian aid pass through the port, said Auke Lootsma, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hong Kong. explain “It is absolutely critical for business and humanitarian activity.” Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs describe The port is a “lifeline for millions of people” and should be “open and operational”.

A UN official said the port has a total of about 3,400 staff, all civilians. The official said on July 30 that he had “not seen any new ships coming into the port” since the attack, which is a worrying sign for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Other Yemeni ports lack the same capacity to manage imports, and the damage and destruction of oil tanks, loading cranes and extensive damage to port facilities will require a lot of money and time to rebuild.

A Houthi oil industry official said the evening attack “had dozens of civilians there at the time, including staff who were managing the tanks, and truck drivers who were there to deliver oil to other provinces.” A World Food Program (WFP) worker said they had 90 staff at the port and “there were always people there.”

An analysis of satellite imagery by Human Rights Watch found that the tanks had been burning for at least three days, raising environmental concerns. Sana’a CenterThe Yemen research team said that “toxic fumes from the burning of thousands of tons of fuel … undoubtedly pose a serious threat to public health.” Oil leaking from tanks into surrounding areas “has the potential to contaminate nearby water sources, soil, beaches and marine habitats,” he said.

Israeli military spokesman Hagari describe The target of the attack was the “Houthi port of Hodeidah, which is used by the Houthis as a major supply route for Iranian weapons to be transported from Iran to Yemen.” He said the Israeli Air Force “strikes at dual-use infrastructure used for terrorist activities, including energy infrastructure. Israel’s necessary and proportionate strikes are aimed at stopping Houthi terrorist attacks.” The Israeli government did not provide information to confirm these claims.

United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement, pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolution 2534 (2020) Authorization Overseeing the city and port of Hodeidah make sure There were no military personnel or supplies present. An official with the UN agency that monitors the port said the agency had never found evidence of a Houthi presence at the port. He said another UN agency that checked the ships before they entered the port did not find any weapons. Two UN officials working in Hodeidah noted that Houthi authorities gave the UN advance permission to enter the port and accompanied UN officials during the inspection.

Oil industry officials said the tanks at the port did not belong to the Houthis but were owned by “Yemeni businessmen who import the oil and resell it to gas stations and other institutions.” Aid groups also own some of the oil and use it for their own operations. A WFP official said the organization lost 780,000 liters of fuel in the attack, which was intended to “support hospital generators” and water and sanitation infrastructure across Yemen. The remaining oil was used for various other public purposes, oil industry officials and Mwatana said. Two UN agency officials said the oil at the port was imported from the United Arab Emirates.

Israeli airstrikes also hit Hodeidah’s main power plant, which is the city’s main source of electricity, supplying hospitals, schools, businesses and homes, two people familiar with the situation in Hodeidah said. Hodeidah province is one of Yemen’s hottest provinces, and electricity is crucial for fans, air conditioners and refrigeration equipment.

Applicable laws of war prohibit deliberate, indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks on civilians and civilian objects. An attack is indiscriminate if it is not directed at a specific military objective. An attack is disproportionate if the expected civilian losses are excessive compared to the expected military gain of the attack. Port facilities, oil storage tanks and power plants can be valid military objectives when used by armed forces or non-state armed groups.

There is no public information indicating that weapons or military materiel were stored or delivered to the port, or that oil and electricity monitored under resolution 2534 were transferred to the Houthis, which would render the Israeli attack unlawful and indiscriminate. However, even if the attack was against a valid military target, the harm to civilians would likely make the attack disproportionate. In addition to the reported civilian casualties, the damage to the port facilities appears to have caused excessive immediate and long-term harm to the large number of Yemenis who rely on the port of Hodeidah for their survival.

Israel’s allies, including USA and U.K.should Suspension of military aid and arms sales As long as the Israeli military systematically and extensively violates the laws of war, including Gaza as well as Lebanonwith impunity. Governments that continue to supply weapons to the Israeli government risk being charged with war crimes.

The United Nations Panel of Experts on Yemen also Before Establishment Iran may provide weapons to the Houthis. Iran should not provide missiles to the Houthis as long as the Houthis continue to use missiles to carry out illegal attacks.

“Israeli airstrikes on critical infrastructure in Hodeidah are likely to have a profound and devastating impact on the lives of many Yemenis,” Jafarnia said. “Both Israelis and Houthi fighters should immediately cease all unlawful attacks that affect civilians and their lives.”