Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the leader of the World Health Organization (WHO), revealed on Saturday that he narrowly escaped death during Israeli strikes at the airport in Yemen’s Huthi rebel-held capital.
He told BBC radio that his ears were still ringing from the attack as he was getting ready to board a flight in Sanaa.
Tedros emphasized the importance of respecting international law’s protection for civilian installations.
Israeli air strikes targeted Sanaa’s international airport and other locations in Yemen on Thursday. This was the second time Israel had conducted strikes in Yemen following rebel missile attacks towards Israel on December 19.
Describing the moment of the first strike, the UN health agency chief recounted the harrowing experience.
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.
