The United Nations chief has denounced the “escalation” in hostilities between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Israel, calling IDF strikes on targets including at the airport in Sana’a “especially alarming” after it came under attack while the head of the World Health Organization was about to board a plane.
Israel struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including the international airport in the capital, Sana’a. Houthi media said at least six people were killed.
A spokesperson for UN secretary general, António Guterres, said in a statement: “The secretary general condemns the escalation between Yemen and Israel. Israeli airstrikes today on Sana’a international airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen are especially alarming …
“Today’s airstrikes follow around a year of escalatory actions by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the region that threaten civilians, regional stability and freedom of maritime navigation.”
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a social media post on Thursday that he was about to board a plane at the airport when it came under aerial attack. A crew member on the plane was injured, he said, and at least two people were reported killed at the airport.
“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge – just a few meters from where we were – and the runway were damaged. We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave. My UN and @WHO colleagues and I are safe. Our heartfelt condolences to the families whose loved ones lost their lives in the attack.”
Tedros said he had been in Yemen to negotiate the release of UN staff detained by the Houthis and assess the humanitarian situation.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse on whether they were aware of Tedros’ presence at the time.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Thursday afternoon that Israel’s air force attacked Houthi targets on the coastline and in Sanaa, adding: “We are determined to cut off this terrorist arm of Iran’s evil axis. We will persist in this until we complete the task.”
Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14 that Israel was only at the beginning of its campaign against the Houthis. “We are just getting started with them,” he said.
Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli military said that in addition to striking the airport, it also hit military infrastructure at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib on Yemen’s west coast. It also attacked the country’s Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations.
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said that three people were killed in the strikes on the airport and three were killed in Hodeidah, while 40 others were wounded in the attacks.
Later on Thursday, the Houthis said they were ready to respond quickly to the attack and meet “escalation with escalation”, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported.
The Houthi transport minister told Saba that both the airport and Hodeidah port would resume normal operations from Friday.
More than a year of Houthi attacks has disrupted international shipping routes, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys that have in turn stoked fears over global inflation.
The UN security council is due to meet on Monday over the Houthi attacks on 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.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
