The pinnacle of the World Well being Group mentioned Saturday he solely narrowly escaped loss of life in deadly Israeli strikes on the airport in Yemen’s Huthi rebel-held capital.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus informed BBC radio his ears had been nonetheless ringing following Thursday’s assault as he ready to board a flight in Sanaa, and careworn that the safety for civilian installations below worldwide regulation should be revered.
Israeli air strikes hit Sanaa’s worldwide airport and different targets in Yemen on Thursday. The assaults towards what Israel’s army known as insurgent “army targets” marked the second time since December 19 that Israel has hit targets in Yemen after insurgent missile hearth in the direction of Israel.
The UN well being company’s chief described the scene as the primary strike hit.
“We heard a heavy explosion close by, after which I feel repeated,” Tedros mentioned.
“The sound was so, so loud… So deafening, really. Nonetheless my ear rings. It is already greater than 24 hours now. I do not know if it affected my ear. The explosion was so heavy.
“It was the departure lounge subsequent to us that was hit, and afterward the management tower.
“It was very chaotic. Folks had been in disarray and operating in every single place and no shelter: we had been utterly uncovered.
“It is a matter of luck. In any other case, if the missile deviated simply barely, it may have been on our heads… my colleague really mentioned in any case that, we escaped loss of life narrowly.”
– ‘Very harmful’ –
Huthi Deputy Transport Minister Yahya al-Sayani mentioned 4 folks had been killed and 20 wounded within the strikes.
Tedros was visiting Yemen on behalf of UN chief Antonio Guterres as a part of a mission to hunt the discharge of detained UN employees and assess the well being and humanitarian conditions within the war-torn nation.
As for whether or not Israel knew he was on the airport on the time, Tedros mentioned: “Our flights and so forth are internationally recognized. So I’d assume that the individuals who prefer to know, know. I’d assume that. However I feel it could be good to ask Israel on this.
“It does not matter whether or not I’m there or not… if it is a civilian set up, it needs to be protected, primarily based on worldwide regulation.
“Whether or not they knew or not, it does not matter… worldwide regulation needs to be revered.”
Tedros mentioned he noticed a departure lounge filled with civilians and civilian plane parked on the apron.
“What I do know is that it is a civilian airport. If there may be anything — I have not seen. However I do know it was serving, on the time, civilian flights.”
On X, Tedros posted video from the strikes and thanked colleagues and airport employees who tried to guard him in the course of the “very harmful assault”. He and his group flew to security in Jordan.
“My coronary heart goes out to our colleagues on the entrance traces and the civilians who face such hazard on daily basis,” he added.
