The WHO director-general and his team were caught in an Israeli airstrike at an airport in Yemen.

Gebreyesus reported this on social media.

“About two hours ago, as we were preparing to board a plane from Sana’a, the airport was bombed. One of the crew members on our flight was injured. […] Before we can take off, we will need to wait for the airport damage to be repaired. My colleagues and I from the UN and WHO are safe,” he wrote.

The Saba news agency, which is under Houthi control, reported that three people died at the airport and an additional 30 were injured. Additionally, three people were killed and 10 injured in the western province of Hudaydah.

The Israeli army stated that it carried out “strikes on military targets based on intelligence data.” The UN indicated that the targets of the strikes included Sana’a International Airport, Red Sea ports, and power stations.

The WHO Director-General announced that the mission to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and to assess the humanitarian situation in Yemen has concluded.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the “deadly escalation” between Yemen and Israel following the Israeli airstrikes.

Guterres urged respect for international humanitarian law and emphasized that airstrikes on ports and the airport pose a serious threat to humanitarian operations at a time when millions of people need vital assistance.