Thu Dec 26 14:41:12 UTC 2024: ## Israeli Strikes Hit Yemeni Airport, Power Plants as WHO Chief Narrowly Avoids Attack
**Sanaa, Yemen/Jerusalem, Israel –** Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple sites in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport and power plants in Hodeidah, just moments before the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and a UN team were set to depart. The Israeli military confirmed the strikes, stating they targeted infrastructure linked to Houthi rebels.
Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-run news outlet, reported casualties, claiming two deaths at the airport and one at a port, along with numerous injuries. The WHO chief reported that one of his crew members was injured and witnessed damage to the airport’s control tower, departure lounge, and runway, just meters from their location. He stressed that his team was unharmed and in the country to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and assess the humanitarian situation.
The attacks follow a recent escalation of tensions, with the Houthis launching ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel, resulting in injuries in Tel Aviv. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the strikes, stating that Yemen will “pay a price” for the Houthi attacks and declaring his intention to “cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil.”
Yemeni journalists reported that the airport had been previously struck and repaired, and that the strikes represent a significant escalation. One journalist warned of potential retaliatory actions from Yemeni forces. The Israeli strikes are part of an ongoing conflict, triggered by the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, with the Houthis citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza as their motivation. The conflict’s humanitarian impact is severe, with thousands of casualties reported in Gaza and ongoing disruption to civilian infrastructure in Yemen.
First Piper 