Headlines
WHO Chief Narrowly Escapes Israeli Airstrike (VIDEO)
Thank you to all my friends, colleagues, and everyone who has wished me well during the ordeal in the past few days.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 28, 2024
I'm especially grateful to the colleagues and airport staff, who were selfless as they tried to protect me.
We faced a very dangerous attack, but my @UN… pic.twitter.com/hGsA8J9XCI
The Director-General of the World Health Organization narrowly escapes an Israeli airstrike, with video footage capturing the tense moments.
The head of the UN health watchdog reported that he narrowly avoided death during an Israeli strike on the airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, last Thursday.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), traveled to a country ravaged by civil war in an effort to negotiate the release of UN workers detained by Houthi rebels who control Sanaa. As the UN team prepared to board their plane at the airport, Israeli jets launched an attack on it.
Security camera footage shared by Ghebreyesus reveals the WHO chief being swiftly guided out of the airport lounge by his team. The video also captures an attack on a control tower.
“It was extremely chaotic, with people in disarray and running everywhere without any shelter; we were completely exposed,” Ghebreyesus told reporters upon his return to Switzerland on Saturday, as reported by AFP.
“It’s a matter of luck. Had the missile veered just slightly, it could have hit us… My colleague noted that we narrowly escaped death.”
In a post on X, Ghebreyesus expressed gratitude for the support he received. “I’m particularly thankful to my colleagues and the airport staff who selflessly worked to protect me,” he stated.
Julien Harneis, the UN coordinator for Yemen, reported that a United Nations employee sustained shrapnel injuries. “I saw his blood on the tarmac this morning as we bid farewell to Tedros,” he mentioned on Friday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they carried out airstrikes in retaliation for Houthi missile attacks on Tel Aviv and various other Israeli cities. The IDF claimed the Houthis were utilizing the nation’s airport and seaports to smuggle weapons from Iran.