The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, narrowly avoided an Israeli airstrike at Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Thursday. The attack occurred just as he and his UN and WHO colleagues were preparing to board a plane.

In a post on X, Ghebreyesus said: “As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport came under aerial bombardment. One of our plane’s crew members was injured. 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.”

“Our mission to negotiate the release of @UN staff detainees and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in #Yemen concluded today. We continue to call for the detainees’ immediate release,” he said.

A spokesperson for United Nations 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.”

At least six people lost their lives, and many more were injured as Israel launched a series of strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the western city of Hodeidah. The Israeli military stated that the strikes targeted “military assets” linked to the Iran-backed Houthi group. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the operations aimed at military infrastructure utilized by the Houthis for their activities at Sanaa International Airport, as well as at the Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations.

The IDF also reported hitting military infrastructure at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Kanatib, claiming these sites were involved in smuggling Iranian weapons and facilitating the arrival of senior Iranian officials.

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Conversely, Houthi-controlled al-Masirah television reported that the strike on Sanaa International Airport resulted in at least three fatalities and 30 injuries.