Air strikes in Israel hit Yemen's main airport as the director of the World Health Organization said that he was about to board a plane there, injuring one of the United Nations flight attendants, the director of the WHO said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in X documents that he was close to the attack on Sanaa airport on Thursday.
“We are about to board our flight from Sanaa… the airport was bombed by a plane. One of our flight crew was injured,” he said.
“The control tower, the launch pad – just a few meters from where we were – and the runway were destroyed,” he said, adding that he and his colleagues were safe.
There was no immediate response from Israel on the incident.
The Houthi-controlled Saba newspaper reported that three people were killed in the attack on the airport and three others were killed after Israel hit the main city of Hodeidah, while 40 others were injured in the Israeli attack.
The Israeli military said they destroyed the weapons used The Houthis of Yemen at Sanaa's international airport, as well as power plants and ports, saying they were used to smuggle Iranian weapons and access Iranian officials.
The Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Israel in what they describe as an agreement. Palestine in Gaza.
Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from UN headquarters in New York, said Ghebreyesus and his staff were evacuated to safety immediately after the incident at the airport.
“The UN tells us that all their employees are counted. But make no mistake, this was a very close call,” said Elizondo.
UN spokeswoman Stephanie Tremblay told reporters that the delegation had just finished discussing the matter society in Yemen and was discussing the release of the imprisoned UN staff.
“The Secretary-General emphasizes that international law, including humanitarian law if applicable, must be respected at all times, and calls on all to respect and protect civilians and infrastructure,” he said.
“Service providers should also not be under surveillance and should be respected and protected at all times.”
The Houthis promise to return
On Thursday, the Houthis said they were ready to respond immediately to the attack and face a “significant increase”, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14 that Israel is just starting its campaign against the Houthis. “We're just getting started with them,” he said.
The prime minister was boosted at home by the Israeli military's fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the destruction of most of the Syrian army's military equipment.
Raiman al-Hamdani, a Yemeni researcher at the international development group ARK, said that Israeli attacks on airports show a significant increase.
Al-Hamdani also said that the Houthis are playing with fire “doubling down” on their promise to continue attacking Israel and that the country has not been able to deal with the problem of a major conflict involving Israel.
“I think there is no going back from what we saw today because the Houthis are determined to continue attacking Israel,” he said.
Last week, Israeli warplanes bombed Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people. The United States military too fought against the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.
The latest Israeli airstrikes in Yemen come days after the Houthis launched a cease-fire against Israel. The Houthis have also been targeting shipments to the Red Sea corridor, saying they are supporting Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them children and women, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.