Human Rights Watch – Yemen: Israel’s Strike on Al Hudaydah Likely a War Crime

Israeli airstrikes on the port of Al Hudaydah in Yemen in July appear to have been a disproportionate and indiscriminate attack against civilians, which could amount to a war crime, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

On July 20th, Israel announced that its warplanes had struck Houthi military targets near Al Hudaydah.

The attack targeted oil facilities and a power generation unit. Local authorities and HRW reported that at least six people were killed and over 80 injured.

The Israeli airstrike occurred the day after a Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic center, which, according to HRW, could also constitute a war crime.

Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Hodeidah hit at least 24 oil storage tanks and two cranes at the port, as well as a power generation unit in the Salif district, HRW reported.

“The attacks appear to have caused disproportionate harm to civilians and non-military targets. Serious violations of the laws of war committed intentionally or recklessly are war crimes,” the organization stated.

Satellite image analysis revealed that the oil tanks burned for at least three days, raising environmental concerns, according to the report.

Al Hudaydah is under Houthi control since 2021, is crucial for the distribution of food and other essential goods to Yemen’s population, which relies heavily on imports. Approximately 70% of Yemen’s commercial imports and 80% of its humanitarian aid pass through the port.

The Houthis have been launching missiles and drones against Israel and disrupting global trade through the Red Sea in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, further destabilizing the Middle East.

Israel claims that the Houthis have launched 200 attacks against it since the Gaza war began, many of which were intercepted, and most were non-lethal.

However, a Houthi drone attack on July 19th that struck Tel Aviv prompted Israel to announce its first strikes against the group the following day.

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