(Geneva) The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that he narrowly escaped death during Israeli strikes on Thursday on the airport of the Yemeni capital, held by Houthi rebels.
Posted at 10:29 a.m.
Updated at 5:17 p.m.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the BBC that his ears were still ringing since the attack on Thursday, as he prepared to board a plane in Sanaa.
“The noise was so loud… so deafening, in fact. I still have ringing in my ears. It’s already been over 24 hours. I don’t know if it affected my ear,” he commented.
PHOTO OSAMAH ABDULRAHMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Broken glass demonstrates the force of Israeli strikes on Sanaa airport on Thursday.
“The departure lounge next to us was hit, then the control tower,” said Mr. Ghebreyesus.
“The situation was chaotic. People were lost and running in all directions without being able to protect themselves: we were completely exposed,” he described.
According to him, “It’s just a matter of luck. Otherwise, if the missile had deviated just a little bit, it could have fallen on our heads.” “My colleagues said after all that, that we had narrowly escaped death.”
Mr Tedros posted a video of the strikes on X and thanked his colleagues and airport staff who tried to protect him during the “very dangerous attack”.
On Thursday, Israel announced that it had struck “military targets” of the Houthi rebels, including the Sanaa airport, with the army claiming to have responded to “repeated attacks” by these insurgents who have been launching numerous attacks against Israel for months, “in solidarity” with the Palestinians.
The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen including the capital, are supported by Iran, Israel’s sworn enemy.
As to whether Israel knew he was at the airport at the time, Mr. Tedros said: “Our flights, etc., are known internationally. So I guess people who want to know know. It would be good to ask Israel.”
But, the WHO chief stressed, the protection of civilian installations provided for by international law must be respected.
“Whether they know it or not, it doesn’t matter.” “It doesn’t matter if I’m here or not […] If it is a civilian installation, it must be protected, based on international law,” he stressed.
Mr. Tedros said he saw a departure lounge full of civilians and civilian planes parked on the tarmac.
“What I know is that it’s a civilian airport. If there is anything else, I haven’t seen it. But I know that it was used, at that time, for civilian flights.”
He and his team flew to safety in Jordan. “My heart goes out to our colleagues on the front lines and the civilians who face such dangers every day,” he added.
Tedros was visiting Yemen on behalf of UN chief Antonio Guterres as part of a mission to secure the release of detained UN staff and assess the health and humanitarian situation there. ravaged by war.
