World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday escaped an aerial bombardment at Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport, resulting in the deaths of at least two people.
Dr Tedros was about to board a flight with his United Nations (UN) and WHO colleagues when the attack occurred, injuring one of the plane’s crew members.
In a post on Twitter, WHO chief Ghebreyesus said, “Our mission to negotiate the release of UN detainees and assess the health and humanitarian situation in #Yemen ends today. We call for the immediate release of detainees “Continue to do.” About two hours before we were to take our flight from Sanaa, the airport was hit by aerial bombardment. At least two of our aircraft’s crew were reported dead at the air traffic control tower. The departure lounge – just a few meters from where we were – and the runway were damaged. We will have to wait until the damage to the airport is repaired before leaving. Our heartfelt condolences to the families whose loved ones lost their lives in the attack.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and called for respect for international law, stressing that civilians and humanitarian workers should never be targeted.
Our mission is to negotiate the release of @un Staff to assess the health and humanitarian situation of detainees and #Yemen It ended today. We continue to demand the immediate release of the prisoners.
About two hours ago, just as we were about to catch our flight from Sanaa, the airport… pic.twitter.com/riZayWHkvf
– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) 26 December 2024
In a post on Twitter, Guterres expressed regret over recent tensions between Yemen and Israel, and called air strikes on Sanaa International Airport, Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen “alarming.”
The air strikes reportedly caused numerous casualties, with at least three people killed and dozens of others injured, according to the UN chief. He reiterated his call on all parties to stop military action and exercise restraint.
I regret the recent tensions between Yemen and Israel, and am deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation of tensions in the region.
Particularly worrying are today’s air strikes on Sanaa International Airport, Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen. Air strikes…
– Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) 27 December 2024
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on military targets belonging to the Houthis on the West Bank and inland Yemen. These attacks were carried out on Houthi military infrastructure used for its military activities. Targeted sites included Sana’a International Airport and the Hezias and Ras Kanatib power stations, in addition to al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Kanatib ports on the west bank.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
