ICRC calls for urgent de-escalation in Middle East

Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has warned that further fighting in the region would be disastrous for tens of millions of civilians, Report informs via Al Jazeera.

"Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East," she said in a statement. "The deaths, injuries and destruction in Saudi Arabia in recent days are yet another example of the devastating toll that hostilities are taking on civilians.

"In Yemen, the scale of death, displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in Aden and Sanaa, is mounting at an alarming rate. Across the Middle East, civilian infrastructure has repeatedly been hit and lives have been lost," the ICRC chief said.

Spoljaric said civilians and civilian objects had to be spared from attack, while parties to conflict must, at all times, distinguish between civilians, civilian objects and military targets. Strikes on ports, airports and essential infrastructure risk severe consequences for communities who rely on them, she added.

"A further intensification of hostilities would be disastrous for tens of millions of people. Urgent efforts must be made to de-escalate and protect civilians from further harm," Spoljaric said.