WHO chief stated he was at Yemen airport when Israeli airstrikes hit
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Israel said it struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen including Sanaa International Airport, reportedly killing at least six people.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was about to board a plane at the airport when it came under attack.
A UN aircrew member suffered serious injuries but is now recovering in hospital, a spokesperson for WHO said.
The injured man, who worked for the UN Humanitarian Air Service, had to be operated on, the spokesperson added.
Mr Tedros, who was in Yemen to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and to assess the humanitarian situation, said he would continue working in the country until his flight is able to depart.
The Israeli military said in addition to striking the airport, it also hit military infrastructure at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib on Yemen’s west coast. It also attacked the country’s Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations.
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said three people were killed in the strikes on the airport and three were killed in Hodeidah, while 40 others were wounded in the attacks.
Later on Thursday, the Houthis said they were ready to respond quickly to the attack and meet “escalation with escalation”, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported.
Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14 that Israel was only at the beginning of its campaign against the Houthis. “We are just getting started with them,” he said.
The prime minister has been strengthened at home by the Israeli military’s campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon and by its destruction of most of the Syrian army’s strategic weapons.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres described the Israeli air strikes as “especially alarming” after “a year of escalatory actions by the Houthis”.
Mr Guterres is concerned about the risk of further escalation, and is calling for all parties concerned to cease military actions and exercise utmost restraint, his spokesperson said.
More than a year of Houthi attacks have disrupted international shipping routes, forcing firms to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys which have, in turn, stoked fears over global inflation.
Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.
Israel’s military failed to intercept a missile from Yemen that fell in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area on Saturday, injuring 14 people.
The US military has also targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. The UN has noted the Yemeni ports are important entry points for humanitarian aid.
Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv.
Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida killing nine people, which was described as a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians.
Source: independent.co.uk
