Daijiworld Media Network - Aden

Aden, Apr 21: UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has expressed deep concern over recent US airstrikes in and around the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port near Hodeidah, citing a growing civilian toll and rising threats to regional peace.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Grundberg echoed UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, stating he was "gravely concerned about the impact of the US airstrikes… on civilians, particularly truck drivers and port workers, as well as on civilian infrastructure."

The attacks, part of a continuing cycle of hostilities between the US and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, are threatening to derail peace efforts and draw Yemen deeper into the wider regional conflict, the envoy warned. “I urge all sides to show restraint, de-escalate, and uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he added.

Calling for credible guarantees to halt hostilities in the Red Sea, Grundberg said it was essential to prevent the vital maritime corridor from becoming a prolonged battleground. “Protecting the Red Sea is critical to keeping Yemen from sliding further away from peace,” he wrote, stressing the implications for both local stability and global security.

Thursday night’s US airstrikes marked one of the deadliest raids since the resumption of American operations in mid-March. According to Houthi-run health officials, at least 80 people were killed and 150 injured in the strikes, which targeted fuel storage facilities and port infrastructure. Among the dead were five paramedics, reportedly killed in a second round of strikes while responding to the initial casualties.

Reacting to the strikes, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, vowed retaliation. The Houthis later claimed to have shot down two US MQ-9 drones within a span of 24 hours.