The Red Cross called on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) for urgent de-escalation in West Asia, warning that further fighting would be disastrous for tens of millions of civilians.
Yemen’s civil war — in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Iran-backed Houthis — reignited in July, months into the wider regional conflict that has roiled energy markets and plunged the Middle East into crisis. Ms. “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,” Ms.
“Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. “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,” Ms. Spoljaric said in a statement. 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. Spoljaric said.
