The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Thursday he was at Yemen’s Sanaa airport when it was hit by Israeli air strikes, killing two people.
“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros said on the social media platform X.
The WHO chief was in Yemen to negotiate the release of UN staffers who have been held hostage by the Houthis for several months, and assess the health and humanitarian situation in the country.
Tedros said he was about to board a flight from Sanaa with UN and WHO staff when “the airport came under aerial bombardment”.
“One of our plane’s crew members was injured,” he added. “At least two people were reported killed at the airport.
The Who chief said he and his colleagues were safe and sent “our heartfelt condolences” to the relatives of those who died.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it had hit multiple targets linked to Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday – including Sanaa International Airport and three ports along the western coast.
The strike is reportedly one of two that took place in Houthi-led Sana’a on Thursday, with the second hitting the Ras Issa port, killing one person.
