The leader of the World Health Organization, WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday said he narrowly escaped death in fatal Israeli strikes on the airport in Yemen’s Huthi rebel-held capital.
Speaking to BBC radio, Tedros said his ears were still ringing following Thursday’s attack as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, stressing that the protection for civilian installations under international law must be respected.
Newspot recalls that Israeli air strikes hit Sanaa’s international airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday.
The attacks against what Israel’s military described as rebel military targets marked the second time since December 19 that Israel has hit targets in Yemen after rebel missile fire towards Israel.
The UN health agency chief described the scene as the first strike hit.
“We heard a heavy explosion nearby, and then I think repeated. The sound was so, so loud… So deafening, actually. Still my ear rings. It’s already more than 24 hours now. I don’t know if it affected my ear. The explosion was so heavy.
“It was the departure lounge next to us that was hit, and later on the control tower.
“It was very chaotic. People were in disarray and running everywhere and no shelter: we were completely exposed.
“It’s a matter of luck. Otherwise, if the missile deviated just slightly, it could have been on our heads… my colleague actually said after all that, we escaped death narrowly,” Tedros said.
