Yemen’s Ministry of Culture said on Sunday that the Houthi militia had bombed the historical and archaeological Al-Qobaa fortress in Hajjah Governorate, northwest of Yemen.

The ministry condemned what it called the criminal act against the heritage and civilization of Yemen, according to a statement published by the official Saba news agency.

The statement described the attack as “a clear violation of all international covenants and agreements for the protection of cultural heritage.”

It added that the destruction of Yemen’s cultural heritage signifies the destruction of humanity’s cultural heritage because Yemen has played an important role in the formation of human civilization. The responsibility, therefore, was for humanity to exert firm and serious pressure on the militia to stop its absurd acts.

The Ministry called on all international institutions and organizations concerned with cultural heritage, especially the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the International Council of Monuments and Archaeological Sites (ICOMOS), to condemn these unethical practices of the Houthi militia towards the buildings and monuments under its control.