WHO chief Tedros:

“Narrowly escaped death” in Israeli attack in Yemen

Footage shows WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus being taken to safety during Israel's attack on the airport in Yemen's capital Sanaa.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that he only "narrowly escaped death" in the latest retaliatory attack by Israel on the airport in Yemen's capital Sanaa

"It was just a matter of luck," Tedros told the BBC on Saturday. If the course of the missile had been just a little different, "the missile could have fallen on our heads", he said.

On Thursday, the Israeli air force attacked the international airport near Sanaa while the WHO chief was staying there. The attack was preceded by attacks on Israel by the Houthi militia, which is supported by Israel's arch-enemy Iran. Last Saturday, 16 people were injured in a Houthi rocket attack on Tel Aviv.

Video of the attack published
Tedros had traveled to Yemen to demand the release of UN employees who were being held captive and to get an idea of the humanitarian situation in the country.

The WHO chief published a video of the Israeli attack on the X online service. He thanked his colleagues and the airport staff who had tried to protect him during the "very dangerous attack".

Questions for Israel
When asked whether Israel knew that he was at the airport at the time, Tedros said that his organization's flights were "internationally known". "I therefore assume that the people who want to know do know. It would be good to ask Israel this question."

He also demanded that the protection of civilian facilities provided for in international law be respected. As far as he knew, the airport in Sana'a was "a civilian airport". "If there is anything else, I have not seen it. But I know that it was used for civilian flights at the time."

"Axis of the resistance"
The Houthi militia controls large parts of the civil war-torn country of Yemen. Like the militant Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, they are part of the "Axis of Resistance" led by Iran and directed against Israel.

Following the Israeli retaliatory attack, the militia reportedly attacked Tel Aviv again with drones on Friday. It also fired a rocket at the airport there.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war triggered by the major Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Houthi have repeatedly fired rockets at Israel. Since then, the militia has also been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden - according to its own statements "in solidarity" with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.