The United Nations has warned of the increasing number of children killed in the Yemeni conflict, saying those who survive will form �a lost generation� as a result of the traumatic experiences of the crisis.

�Children are paying an unacceptable price, and the ever mounting death toll tragically underscores the need for urgent action to protect them and other civilians,� said United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict�Leila Zerrougui�on Tuesday.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Displaced children play in a room in a school, where they are living with their family following Saudi airstrikes, in the Yemeni capital city of Sana�a, May 14, 2015. (AP)[/caption]

Yemen has become �another stark example of how conflict in the region risks creating a lost generation of children, who are physically and psychologically scarred by their experiences, deprived of educational opportunities, and who face an uncertain future,� she added.

The UN official also lashed out at the Saudi regime for targeting civilians in its 21 August airstrikes on the southwestern�Yemeni province�of�Ta'izz, which claimed the lives of 65 civilians, including at least 17 children.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui[/caption]

�Parties to conflict must abide by their international legal obligations to distinguish between civilian and military objects, and take precautions to avoid and minimize civilian casualties,��Zerrougui underscored.

She also voiced concern over the educational situation of children in the war-ravaged Arab state as the new school year is about to kick off.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Yemeni children play at a school, currently turned into a shelter, in the capital city of Sana�a on August 19, 2015. (AFP)[/caption]

�As the start of a new school year approaches, the conflict is severely curtailing children�s access to education,��Zerrougui warned.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 114 schools have been completely destroyed and 315 others partially damaged in Yemen since the beginning of Riyadh�s military campaign in late March. This is while some 360 schools have turned into refuges for the families who have fled their homes as a result of the deadly conflict.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Yemeni children carry boxes of humanitarian aid donated by UNICEF in Sirwah, west of Ma'rib province, May 11, 2015. (AFP)[/caption]

On March 26, Saudi Arabia began its military aggression against Yemen � without a UN mandate � in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch�ally of Riyadh.

The conflict has so far left about 4,500 people, including�402 children, dead�and thousands of�others wounded, the UN says.

By Press TV