New York, United States - December 27, 2024 The recent Israeli airstrikes on multiple sites in Yemen, including Hodeidah Port in the north, could have devastating consequences, potentially further worsening the humanitarian situation in the country, an United Nations official said on Friday. On Dec 19, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in northern Yemen, resulting in the destruction of two major power stations in the capital, Sanaa, and several ports along the coast of the Red Sea. A total of three ports in Hodeidah Province were affected by the airstrikes: the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Isa. On Thursday, Israel launched another round of airstrikes targeting key infrastructure and Houthi-controlled sites in Sanaa and Hodeidah, according to media reports. Julien Harneis, UN resident coordinator in Yemen, stated that 80 percent of food and nearly 90 to 95 percent of medical supplies needed in northern Yemen rely on Hodeidah Port for passage, making the port extremely important. He emphasized that if the port were to break down, it would have catastrophic consequences, leading to a rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. The UN predicts that by 2025, the population in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen will rise to 19 million people. If the internal conflict in Yemen persists, this situation may worsen even further, Harneis noted. Shotlist: UN Headquarters, New York City - Dec 27, 2024: FILE: UN Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown 1. United Nations (UN) headquarters; 2. UN flags; 3. UN emblem; UN Headquarters, New York City - Dec 27, 2024 4. Reporter raising questions at UN press briefing; 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julien Harneis, UN resident coordinator in Yemen (starting with shot 4, ending with shot 6): "So, the airstrikes some days ago which destroyed the two tugs was estimated to reduce the harbor capacity by 50 percent. Now, we don't know how long that reduction in capacity will be and we have yet to do a thorough analysis of what the impact of yesterday's airstrikes. So, we're still collecting information and trying to understand that."; Hodeidah, Yemen - Dec 21, 2024 6. Various of people, damaged boat, facilities at port; 7. Various of people on boat; 8. Various of damaged facilities; 9. Port scene. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland, For news purpose only/No archive/Not for other production use]