GENEVA – The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at the Sanaa airport in Yemen during an Israeli bombardment on December 26. Despite the chaos, Dr. Tedros confirmed that he remained safe, though the airport suffered significant damage.
In a post on social media platform X, Dr. Tedros reported that one of the plane’s crew members was injured and at least two people were killed at the airport. He added that other UN staff were also safe, but their departure was delayed until repairs could be made1.
Dr. Tedros was in Yemen as part of a mission to seek the release of detained UN staff and assess the health and humanitarian situations in the war-torn country. He stated that the mission concluded on the day of the bombardment and reiterated the call for the detainees’ immediate release1.
The Israeli air strikes came a day after the latest attacks on Israel by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The rebel-held capital’s airport was struck by more than six attacks, with raids also targeting the adjacent Al-Dailami airbase1.
Dr. Tedros extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the attack and emphasized the need for immediate repairs to the damaged infrastructure