- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Saudi-Led Coalition Operation in Yemen Has No Legal Foundation - Lavrov

© AP Photo / Hani MohammedYemenis stand amid the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in a village near Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, April 4, 2015
Yemenis stand amid the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in a village near Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, April 4, 2015 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Saudi Arabian-led air operation targeting the positions of Houthi rebels in Yemen has no international legal foundations for its actions.

Non-Chinese citizens board a Chinese navy ship during an evacuation from Aden, April 2, 2015 - Sputnik International
World
Russia Calls on Other Countries to Join Evacuation Mission From Yemen
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Saudi Arabia-led air operation targeting the positions of Houthi rebels in Yemen does not have any legal basis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Rossiya Segodnya news agency's general director, Dmitry Kiselev, in an exclusive interview on Monday.

"As of now it [the Saudi-led operation] has no international legal foundation. Of course, we were a bit disappointed, to say the least, by the fact that the operation was launched even without any consultations either in the [UN] Security Council or via bilateral channels," Lavrov said.

Lavrov stated that Russia values its relations with Saudi Arabia and other members of the coalition, but was critical of the fact that the coalition had asked the Security Council to approve the military operation in Yemen post factum.

Yemen is suffering from a violent conflict between Houthi rebels and government forces. The Shiite Houthis recently took control of the country's capital Sanaa, forcing elected president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee the country, and have made rapid advances into other cities.

A jet takes off to participate in the Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen, at an airbase in an undisclosed location in Saudi Arabia in this April 2, 2015 picture provided by Saudi Press Agency. Picture taken April 2, 2015 - Sputnik International
Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrikes Hit Yemeni Border Town
In March, a coalition headed by Saudi Arabia launched a military operation against Houthi rebel positions in Yemen, at the request of president Hadi.

The ongoing hostilities in Yemen have resulted in the deaths of 519 people, including 90 children, over the past two weeks, according to the UN. The death toll climbed sharply after the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Yemen.

The escalation of the conflict prompted several countries, including Russia, China, the United States and India to evacuate their nationals from Yemen.

Last week, Russia submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council, calling for a humanitarian pause in the airstrikes on Yemen. UN Security Council's President for April, Dina Kawar of Jordan, confirmed receiving Russia's draft resolution, but said that the council needed time to consider the proposal.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала