Israel’s military said it struck multiple targets linked to Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, including Sana’a International Airport. World Health Organisation Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight.
Tedros is in Yemen to negotiate the release of UN staffers who have been held hostage by the Houthi movement for several months, and assess the health and humanitarian situation in the country.
“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X.
A crew member was injured in the attack and according to Tedros, “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave.” UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay later said the injured person was with the UN Humanitarian Air Service.
Earlier, attacks hit Yemen’s Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations as well as military infrastructure in the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib, Israel’s military claimed.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis who have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli attacks on the airport, Hodeidah and on one power station, were reported by Al Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Houthis.
More than a year of Houthi attacks have disrupted international shipping routes, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys that have in turn stoked fears over global inflation.
According to Israel, it has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as 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. On Saturday, Israel’s military failed to intercept a missile from Yemen that fell in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, injuring 14 people.
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