Sanaa:The Civil Defense Authority in Sanaa has sent a protest memo to the International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO) in Geneva, condemning what they describe as a war crime by Saudi aggression aircraft targeting civil defense teams in Al-Shariya village, Bani Hushaysh District, Sanaa Governorate, while they were performing humanitarian duties.
According to Yemen News Agency, the memo details an incident on November 7, 2026, at 1130 a.m., when aggression aircraft targeted citizens' homes in the village, resulting in civilian casualties. The Authority's rescue and ambulance teams responded to the scene to commence rescue operations. However, at 1230 p.m., the site was targeted again with three airstrikes, directly impacting the civil defense teams, citizens, and Yemeni Red Crescent teams engaged in rescue and ambulance operations.
The Authority claims this act violates international humanitarian law, specifically Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1977, which protects civil defense personnel and facilities. They assert this targeting constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, for the deliberate targeting of protected persons and civilian objects.
The protest memo urges the International Civil Defence Organization to condemn the crime, document the incident, and engage with the United Nations and other bodies to investigate. The Authority calls for measures to hold the perpetrators accountable and ensure international protection for civil defense teams in Yemen. They emphasize that targeting civil defense personnel is an attack on humanity, necessitating a strong international response.
