The National Human Rights Authority condemned what it described as a dangerous and criminal escalation by Saudi warplanes, accusing them of deliberately and systematically targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure protected under international humanitarian law in several districts of Saada Governorate.

In a statement, the authority said Saudi aircraft carried out a brutal strike on a telecommunications network in the border district of Munabbih, a civilian facility serving more than 50,000 people, before striking it again in what it described as a deliberate effort to sever the area’s communications with the outside world.

It also reported two consecutive strikes on Al-Salem district, which is densely populated with residents and displaced people, as well as two strikes on a telecommunications network in Al-Safra district that knocked it completely out of service, cutting off dozens of villages, health centers and schools.

The authority said the targeting of telecommunications networks constitutes a war crime under Article 52 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits attacks on civilian objects that do not contribute to military operations.

The statement accused Saudi Arabia of deliberately targeting protected civilian infrastructure as part of a systematic policy of collective punishment against the population of Saada, describing the attacks as war crimes, crimes against humanity and an act of state terrorism aimed at spreading fear among civilians in the border areas.

It also blamed the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council and the UN envoy for failing to act against repeated attacks on Saada, saying their silence had encouraged further escalation.

The authority held Saudi Arabia fully responsible for the alleged crimes and said the United States, Britain and France shared responsibility as major arms suppliers and political backers of the Saudi war effort.

The statement called on international organizations to condemn what it described as systematic Saudi attacks on Yemen’s civilian infrastructure, warning that the alleged crimes would not be forgotten and that those responsible would eventually be held accountable.