Ain Al-Insaniya Center Condemns Targeting of Sana’a Airport, Factories, Economic, Civilian Facilities

The Ain Al-Insaniya Center for Rights and Development has condemned the dangerous military escalation witnessed in the capital, Sana’a, on Friday, which involved the targeting of four buildings at Sana’a International Airport, as well as a number of factories and economic and civilian facilities.

In a statement,the Center emphasized that the gravity of these attacks is not limited to the direct damage inflicted on buildings, equipment, and production lines. Rather, it extends to threatening the lives of workers and civilians, destroying the income sources of hundreds of families, damaging the local economy, and disrupting the productive activities upon which citizens rely to secure their basic needs amidst the country’s difficult humanitarian and living conditions.

The Center stressed that factories and civilian economic facilities enjoy the protection afforded to civilian objects under the rules of international humanitarian law. They may not be targeted unless they meet the legal criteria for classification as military objectives—while strictly adhering, in all circumstances, to the principles of distinction and proportionality and taking necessary precautions to protect civilians. Furthermore, merely causing damage to the economy or civilian property does not, in itself, constitute a legal justification for attacking them.

The statement expressed concern regarding the targeting of Sana’a International Airport and the resulting human casualties and damage to its facilities, reaffirming the necessity of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure. He pointed out that protecting civilian and economic facilities is not a secondary matter, but rather a fundamental legal and humanitarian obligation; the destruction of factories and the disruption of production compound the living burdens on citizens, deprive families of their sources of income, threaten employment and production opportunities, and deepen the humanitarian and economic impacts of the conflict.

The statement noted that the continued targeting of civilian facilities constitutes a serious violation of the protection rules established under international humanitarian law and necessitates investigation and accountability.

It reiterated the call to respect civilian lives and property, safeguard civilian objects, and put an end to all practices that endanger the population and the essentials of their livelihood.