Sanaa, 27 December (UITV) – WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus narrowly escaped an Israeli attack. On Thursday, Israel attacked Sanaa Airport in Yemen, targeting the port and airport. During this attack, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was also present there, who had gone to Yemen to negotiate the release of United Nations (UN) employees. The WHO chief narrowly escaped this attack. Tedros, while giving information about this attack on the social media platform ‘X’, wrote that the purpose of his visit to Yemen was to negotiate the release of UN employees and assess the health and humanitarian situation of Yemen.
For the last several months, Houthi rebels had held UN employees hostage. The WHO chief had reached Yemen to release these employees. After the attack, Tedros told that he was about to board his flight from Sanaa Airport when suddenly the airport was bombed. One crew member of the WHO plane was injured in the attack, while at least two people were reported killed at the airport.
Tedros also said that the air traffic control tower, departure lounge and runway were also badly damaged. This happened around the time when the WHO chief and his team were about to leave the airport. Due to the attack, they had to wait till the airport was repaired. He also said that all UN and WHO colleagues are safe and he expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families whose loved ones lost their lives in the attack.
This attack made it clear that the situation in Yemen is still very fragile and security is at risk. According to Tedros, his team’s priority now is to send humanitarian aid to that area and they will continue their demands for the release of UN employees.
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This attack happened at a time when there was a serious need for health and other aid work due to conflicts and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Many WHO and UN staff are working in the region and this attack has once again brought to the fore the serious concern of security for international organizations working in Yemen.
This incident has come as a warning to organizations sending humanitarian aid to the war-torn areas of Yemen, where the security situation is unstable and conflict continues between various parties. In his statement, Tedros expressed condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in this attack and clarified his security situation with his team. This attack has further highlighted the seriousness of the war and security issues in Yemen.
