WHO chief says he was at Yemen airport when it was hit by deadly Israeli airstrikes

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said he was at Yemen’s Sanaa airport when it was hit by Israeli airstrikes.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was about to board a flight from Sanaa with UN and WHO staff when “the airport was bombed from the air”.

“One of the crew members of our plane was injured,” he added. “At least two people were killed at the airport.

“The air traffic control tower, the departure hall – just a few meters from where we were – and the runway were damaged.”

Mr Ghebreyesus said he and his colleagues were safe and sent his “heartfelt condolences” to the relatives of those who died.

Meanwhile, of Israel the military said it struck several targets linked to Iran’s alignment Houthis traffic in Yemen on Thursday – including Sanaa International Airport and three ports along the west coast.

The attacks hit Of Yemen The Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power plants, as well as military infrastructure in the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib, the Israeli military added.

Houthi-run local news station Al Masirah TV said two people were killed in the airport strikes, while one person was killed in the port attacks.

He added that 11 others were injured in the attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the strikes and said on social media: “We are determined to cut off this terrorist arm of Iran’s axis.

“We will persist in this until we complete the task.”

It comes after 16 people were injured in Tel Aviv when a Houthi rocket hit a playground over the weekend.

The planes also fired on Sanaa and Hodeida last week, killing nine people in what the Israeli military called a response to previous attacks by the rebel group.