WHO Chief Narrowly Escapes Deadly airstrike in Yemen

Sana’a,Yemen – World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had a harrowing escape Thursday when Israeli airstrikes targeted Sana’a International Airport,striking near his departure gate.

The attack, which Israel said targeted Houthi rebel “military objectives,” left Tedros shaken but unharmed. “The noise was deafening. I still have ringing in my ears.It’s been over 24 hours,” Tedros told the BBC, describing the terrifying experience. “The departure lounge next to us was hit,then the control tower. If the missile had been slightly off course, it could have fallen on us.”

The airstrikes where a response to what Israel described as “repeated attacks” by the Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen, including the capital. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have been locked in a brutal civil war with the Yemeni government for years.

tedros, who was in Yemen on a mission for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stressed the importance of protecting civilian infrastructure under international law. “It doesn’t matter if I was there or not,” he said. “Civilian facilities must be protected.”

Tedros’s visit aimed to secure the release of detained UN personnel and assess the dire humanitarian and health situation in war-torn Yemen.

The incident highlights the risky reality for aid workers and diplomats operating in Yemen, a country ravaged by conflict and facing a dire humanitarian crisis.

WHO Chief’s Close Call in Yemen Airstrike Highlights Dangers Faced by Aid workers

Isabella: Did you hear about what happened to the head of the World Health Association? I read online that he was nearly killed in an airstrike in Yemen!

David: Whoa, really? That’s terrifying! I haven’t seen anything about it yet. What happened?

Isabella: It’s awful. So, apparently, the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at Sana’a International Airport trying to leave Yemen after a mission there for the UN when the airport was hit by Israeli airstrikes.

David: Wow, that’s incredibly hazardous. was he hurt?

Isabella: Thankfully, Tedros escaped unharmed, but he said it was a very close call. he described the noise as deafening [[1], and said that if the missile had been just slightly off course, it could have hit him. Can you imagine?

David: That’s chilling. What was Tedros even doing in Yemen?

Isabella: He was in Yemen on a mission for the UN Secretary-General. He was trying to secure the release of UN staff who were being held hostage by the Houthi rebels [[2],and also trying to assess the humanitarian situation there,which is dire.

David: It sounds like incredibly important work,but incredibly risky too. Why was the airport targeted?

Isabella: Israel said the airstrikes targeted Houthi rebel “military objectives.” They said it was a response to repeated attacks by the Houthis [[3]who have been fighting a civil war with the Yemeni government for years.

David: This sounds like a really complex situation. It must be heartbreaking for the people caught in the middle of the fighting.

Isabella: It really is. Tedros emphasized the importance of protecting civilian infrastructure during wartime, and he’s absolutely right.It doesn’t matter if he was there or not, civilian facilities need to be protected.

David: Absolutely. It sounds like Tedros had a truly harrowing experience, and it really highlights the dangers that aid workers and diplomats face every day in conflict zones.