WORLD / MID-EAST
WHO chief leaves Yemen after airport strike
Published: Dec 29, 2024 08:19 AM
File photo:VCG

File photo:VCG


 
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus departed Yemen on Friday after an Israeli airstrike on Sanaa's international airport left him stranded and injured a UN staff member.

"We are now in Jordan, where he will receive further medical treatment," Tedros wrote in a social media post, referring to the injured staffer who was evacuated following the attack. The airstrike occurred on Thursday, just as Tedros and other UN officials were preparing to depart Yemen.

Tedros, who was in the country for UN-led negotiations aimed at securing the release of 13 UN staff members detained by the Houthi rebels, condemned the attack. "Attacks on civilians and humanitarians must stop, everywhere," he said in a statement following the incident.

Israel's military confirmed the strikes, saying they targeted Houthi infrastructure used for smuggling Iranian weapons. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported casualties from the strikes, which caused significant damage to the airport and other sites. The full extent of the damage and the number of casualties remains unclear.