Iranian Diplomat Calls on Europeans Not to Keep Silent on Killings of Yemeni Civilians
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari, who is on an official visit to the Belgian capital of Brussels, called on the European nations to break silence about recent massacre of civilians in Yemen by the Saudi regime.
Speaking at a meeting with Secretary General of European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid in Brussels on Sunday, Jaberi Ansari decried Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that killed scores of civilians in a funeral ceremony in Sana’a on Saturday, and stressed the need for the international community to address the “brutal killings of Yemen’s defenseless people” by Saudi Arabia.
He further emphasized that double-standard approaches should not be adopted towards humanitarian tragedies, adding that the killings of the Yemeni civilians should not be overlooked or ignored by the Europeans just because the incidents have no immediate security impact on the European Union (EU).
Schmid, for her part, expressed sorrow over the recent Saudi airstrikes, saying that the EU has issued a statement in condemnation of the attacks against civilians in Yemen.
Over 140 people were killed and over 525 wounded on Saturday, when the Saudi airstrike hit a community hall in southern Sana’a, where a funeral for the father of Interior Minister Jalal al-Roweishan was being held.
The Saudi missiles tore through the hall with hundreds of body parts left strewn in and outside the building.
The death toll was one of the largest in a single incident since March 2015, when the Riyadh regime began its deadly campaign to crush the Houthis and their allies and restore power to resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Sana’a Mayor Abdel Qader Hilal was reported to be among the victims of Saturday’s assault.
