Amnesty International Calls for Civilian Protection Amid Escalating Hostilities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia

Amnesty International has called on all warring parties to protect civilians and adhere to international humanitarian law following a dramatic escalation in hostilities between Huthi authorities, the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. The human rights organization raised alarms over the growing toll on civilian populations across Yemen and Saudi Arabia as cross-border and ground attacks have intensified.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, stated that deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international humanitarian law and can constitute war crimes. The organization emphasized that warring factions must immediately halt direct, indiscriminate, or disproportionate attacks on non-combatants and infrastructure, including civilian airports.

The warning follows several recent strikes, including an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October that killed 13 people and wounded hundreds, which Amnesty International described as the deadliest strike in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. Media reports cited by the organization indicated that Huthi attacks on Saudi civilian airports between 5 and 11 October damaged passenger terminals and aircraft, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 350. Huthi forces have also targeted military installations, oil facilities, and maritime vessels.

Inside Yemen, full-scale armed hostilities and ground fighting have resumed, with severe impacts reported along the coast and around Ta’iz. The United Nations human rights office documented at least 32 civilian deaths, including 15 children, between August and late September, while noting the true toll is likely higher. Concurrently, Saudi Arabia has resumed airstrikes in Yemen, which have killed at least 66 civilians and injured 90, according to data from the Yemen Data Project.

Amnesty International noted that the renewed fighting follows the breakdown of a UN-brokered ceasefire in July 2026, sparked by airstrikes on Sana’a airport claimed by the Yemeni government. The group warned that the conflict threatens to worsen an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where UN figures indicate that 18.3 million people face acute food insecurity, alongside millions of malnourished children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

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