UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres fails to condemn terror group, expresses worries of “regional escalation.”
By World Israel News Staff
The head of the United Nations appeared to blame Israel for increasing regional tensions because of a retaliatory strike on Houthi assets in Yemen, following months of attempts by the terror group to attack Israeli civilian and military assets.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “is deeply concerned about the reports of airstrikes earlier today in and around the port of Hodeida in Yemen,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
“Israel has claimed responsibility for the strikes, noting that this is in response to previous Houthi attacks on Israel,” the statement read.
“Initial reports indicate a number of fatalities and over 80 people injured in this attack and that there has been considerable damage to civilian infrastructure. The secretary-general calls on all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure.”
Guterres added that he “remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint.”
Notably, Guerres and the UN were silent for months after the Iran-backed Houthis launched some 200 drones and missiles at Israel, failing to condemn the terror group for its unprovoked attacks against the Jewish State.
According to an IDF spokesman, virtually all of those projectiles were intercepted.
After a Houthi drone exploded in Tel Aviv and killed a 50-year-old Israeli civilian on Friday, Guterres released a statement about the incident which fell short of condemning the terror group.
Guterres expressed his concerns over “the risk such dangerous acts pose for further escalation in the region,” rather than explicitly criticizing the Houthis for the unprovoked attack.
“I have a message for Israel’s enemies – don’t be mistaken about us,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement after Israel announced it had struck Yemen in retaliation for the deadly attack on Tel Aviv.
“We will protect ourselves in every way, on every front. Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for his aggression.”
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