AA / Genève / Beyza Binnur Donmez
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that he was at Sanaa airport in Yemen when it was hit by Israeli airstrikes.
“As we were about to board our flight to Sanaa, about two hours ago, the airport came under aerial bombardment. One of the crew members of our plane was injured “, wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X.
And continued: “At least two people were reportedly killed at the airport. The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — located a few meters from where we were — and the landing strip were damaged,” he added.
He said the mission had to wait until the damage to the airport was repaired before it could leave.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he and his colleagues were safe and sound, and sent his “sincere condolences” to the relatives of the victims of the attack.
The WHO director and his staff were in Yemen to negotiate the release of detained UN staff members and assess the health and humanitarian situation in the country. This mission ended on Thursday.
“We continue to call for the immediate release of the detainees,” he added.
Israeli warplanes launched a new wave of airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday evening, amid growing regional tensions over Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, Israeli media said.
The strikes targeted several strategic sites in Yemen, including Sanaa airport and the port of Al Hudaydah in the west of the country.
The Houthis have targeted Israeli or Tel Aviv-associated cargo ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, in a show of support for the Gaza Strip, where more than 45,000 people have died in the war. by Israel since October 7, 2023.
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