This article was originally published in English
The director-general of the World Health Organization said the bombing happened as he was preparing to board a flight in Sanaa, injuring a crew member.
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The Israeli military said it launched airstrikes on Wednesday against Houthi targets in Yemen, including the airport in the capital Sanaa, in response to the Iran-backed group's continued missile and drone attacks on Israel, which have intensified in recent weeks.
The director-general of the World Health Organization said the bombing happened as he was preparing to board a flight in Sanaa, injuring a crew member.
“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge – located a few meters from where we were – and the landing strip were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told X, adding that he and his WHO colleagues were safe. “We will have to wait until the damage to the airport is repaired before we can leave. He did not mention the source of the bombing.”
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said Israeli jets attacked targets along the Middle Eastern country's western coast, as well as further inland.
Israel said it was targeting “infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime for its military activities” at Sanaa International Airport, two major power plants and infrastructure at the ports of Al-Hodeida, Salif and Ras Kanatib. .
“This infrastructure was used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer Iranian weapons to the region and to allow the entry of senior Iranian officials,” the IDF said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi approved the strikes, the Israeli military added.
The Israeli strikes came after a missile launched from Yemen triggered air warning sirens in central Israel early Wednesday, prompting millions of residents to take shelter for the second night in a row .
The army said the missile was intercepted before entering Israeli territory, but police reported that shrapnel from the interception fell in several towns. No injuries were reported.
This is the fourth time in a week that shots from Yemen's Houthi rebels have triggered sirens in Israel. On Saturday, 16 people were injured when a missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv after Israel's air defense system failed to intercept it.
Early last week, Israeli warplanes struck Yemen's rebel-held capital and a port city, killing nine people. Israel said the strikes were in response to previous attacks by the Houthis.
On Tuesday, Israel's foreign minister called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to condemn attacks by the Houthis as well as the group's Iranian allies who allegedly supplied weapons to the rebels.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
World
