TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the latest Saudi-led airstrikes on a market in the northern Yemeni province of Sa’ada which left dozens of civilians dead or wounded.

In a Tuesday statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi expressed disgust at such savage and inhumane acts and offered condolences to the families of the victims.

“More than four years since the devastating war on Yemen began, the aggressors have had no achievement but the destruction of Yemen, and they want to make up for their defeats both in the political arena and on the ground by killing women, children and civilians,” Mousavi regretted.

Criticizing the international community for remaining tight-lipped in the face of war crimes committed by aggressors against Yemen, he said, “America and some European countries are accessories to these crimes by selling weapons to the aggressors and should be answerable for their actions.”

At least 14 civilians were killed and 25 wounded when Saudi-led warplanes conducted an airstrike on a crowded market in Yemen’s northern province of Sa’ada on Monday.

Yemen’s health ministry also said at least 10 of the wounded were in critical condition, warning that the death toll was likely to rise.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the country’s former regime back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement. Over 15,000 Yemenis have been killed in the attacks since then.

The Western-backed military aggression, coupled with a naval blockade, has led to a massive humanitarian crisis in the country. The country’s infrastructure has also been destroyed.

On Monday, a senior UN official highlighted the plight of war-stricken Yemeni people, urging the international community “not to turn its back” on Yemen and to honor its promises to deliver aid to the impoverished state.

“Four years of conflict according to the UNDP latest report have set back Yemen by 20 years,” UN Development Program administrator Achim Steiner told AFP after a visit to the country.

He also raised concerns about the humanitarian situation caused by the Saudi offensive, saying, “The world should not turn its back on Yemen.”

“It is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and in some respects it is getting worse because hostilities and fighting still continue and the situation for 20 million or over two thirds of Yemeni citizens require humanitarian support,” he said. “Ten million people currently face the acute risk of famine.”

SP/PA