The UN on Wednesday expressed grave concern over continued Israeli airstrikes on Yemen and escalating cross-border attacks involving the Houthis.

“I can tell you that we know with grave concern the continued Israeli airstrikes that took place today, as well as the Houthi attacks that have been targeting Israel,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a news conference.

He noted that “one of the attacks, the Israeli airstrikes today, came very close to a UN facility, which is obviously of concern to us.”

Dujarric stressed that “what we want to see is a cessation of all military activities between Israel and the Houthis and the avoidance by all to do anything that would escalate tensions in an area where tensions are already pretty highly escalated.”

He further urged all sides to respect international humanitarian law, and called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of all UN personnel as well as members of NGOs, civil society, and diplomatic missions.

At least nine people were killed and 118 others injured when Israeli warplanes launched new airstrikes on multiple sites in Yemen on Wednesday, the Houthi group said.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said the attacks targeted a medical facility on 60th Street in the southwestern area of the capital Sanaa, the Central Bank headquarters, and a government complex in Al-Jawf province in northeastern Yemen.

Last month, an Israeli strike on Sanaa killed 12 top Houthi officials, including Prime Minister Ahmed Ghalib Al-Rahawi and nine other government ministers.

The Israeli army launched several waves of airstrikes on Houthi sites across Yemen in recent months in retaliation for Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 64,600 people have been killed in an Israeli genocidal war.