TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has called on Saudi Arabia to stop “playing with fire” in Yemen and take the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the war-torn country seriously.

“In its attack on Yemen, Saudi Arabia played with fire and made a strategic mistake and it is now playing with the issue of ceasefire,” Amir-Abdollahian told IRNA on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that there would be a five-day halt in its military aggression against Yemen.

The self-declared ceasefire went into effect but aerial bombardment of the war-stricken country continued unabated prior to the pause.

Amir-Abdollahian called the humanitarian situation in Yemen “catastrophic,” urging “everybody to help the United Nations and the Yemeni people in stopping the aggression and ending the humanitarian blockade.”

He stressed that the crisis in Yemen should be resolved through political channels, warning that the use of force in Yemen would escalate insecurity and terrorism in the Middle East region.

Since March, Saudi Arabia has launched airstrikes against Yemen – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the Ansarullah movement.

NA/OS