The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN staff were at Yemen’s international airport in Sanaa on Thursday when an Israeli airstrike took place.
In a social media post, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he and staff were about to board a plane when the airport was bombed.
“One of our flight crew was injured,” he wrote, adding that two people died at the airport.
The strikes – which also hit power stations and ports – killed at least three people and injured more than ten, according to Houthi-affiliated media. An Iranian-backed rebel group described the attack as “barbaric” after Israel claimed responsibility for the strikes.
It is not clear whether the dead were civilians or Houthi rebels.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “warplanes carried out intelligence-based strikes on areas targeted by the Houthi terrorist regime on the west coast and inside Yemen”.
It targeted “military infrastructure” at Sanaa International Airport and the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations, as well as areas at the ports of Al-Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Kanatib on the west coast, the IDF said.
Commenting shortly after the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “we will continue to cut off the terrorist arm of the Iranian axis of evil until we finish the job”, adding that “we are just getting started [the Houthis]”.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthis’ executive committee, called the strikes “barbaric” and “aggressive”.
He said “confronting the arrogance of America and Israel” will continue until the end of the conflict in Gaza.
Several people injured in the strikes at Sanaa airport told Houthi-run Al Masirah broadcaster that the runway was hit three times before the airport tower was hit.
A man who identified himself as Dr. Abbas Rajeh, said that the police hospital where he works treated ten patients after the attack – one was already dead, one was in critical condition, while others had minor injuries or broken bones.
Iran described the strikes as “a flagrant violation of international peace and security”.
The Houthi rebels have been attacking Israel since the early months of the Gaza war, which began in October 2023.
Houthi missile strike more than a dozen people were injured in Israel last week.
Israel has carried out occasional strikes against the Houthis in retaliation.
Earlier this week, Israel’s defense minister said the country was preparing to “clash hard” against the Houthis, warning that it would “behead” the group’s leadership.
The Houthis are an armed political and religious group supported by Iran. The group has controlled large parts of western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since ousting the internationally recognized government in 2015.
Source link
