WHO chief Tedros recounts harrowing experience during Yemen airport attack

On December 26, World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recounted a harrowing escape from Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport when an Israeli airstrike struck during his departure. Tedros was in Yemen on a critical mission to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and assess the country’s worsening humanitarian crisis.

As he waited in the departure lounge, explosions shattered the air. “There was a very heavy explosion, very close,” Tedros said, recalling the deafening blast that struck the lounge and the air traffic control tower. “It felt like it was just next to me.” Chaos erupted as people ran for cover. Among the casualties were two air traffic controllers killed in the tower and several others injured, including airport staff processing passports and crew members preparing Tedros’ flight.

Tedros described the fear and helplessness that followed. “We didn’t leave until more than an hour after the first explosion. Drones were flying overhead. You don’t know if they’ll fire again. There’s no shelter—nothing. You’re just exposed, waiting for anything to happen.”

The attack was part of a larger Israeli operation targeting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen. The Houthis had launched repeated drone and missile strikes on Israel, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defending the airstrikes, declared, “We are just getting started” with the Houthis.

The strikes also targeted Hodeidah, where six people were killed and 40 others wounded. The Houthi-controlled Saba News Agency reported three additional fatalities at Sanaa Airport, underscoring the deadly toll of the conflict.

Tedros expressed disbelief that no warning had been issued about the impending attack, despite the airport being a civilian hub. Reflecting on his ordeal, he admitted, “I wasn’t sure I could survive. The bombing was alarmingly close—just meters away. A slight deviation, and it could have been a direct hit.”