Israeli air strikes Attack on Yemen’s main airport A crew member on the U.N. plane was injured just as the director-general of the World Health Organization said he was about to board a flight there.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X that he was just meters away from Thursday’s attack at Sana’a airport.

“As we were preparing to board the flight from Sana’a… the airport came under aerial bombardment. One of our crew members was injured,” he said.

“The air traffic control tower, the terminal – just meters from where we were – and the runway were all damaged,” he said, adding that he and his colleagues were safe.

Israel had no immediate comment on the incident.

The Saba news agency controlled by the Houthi armed forces said that three people were killed in the airport attack, and another three people were killed after Israel attacked the main port city of Hodeidah. Another 40 people were injured in the Israeli attack.

Israeli military says it attacked infrastructure used by Israel Yemen Houthi armed forces At the capital’s Sana’a international airport, as well as power stations and ports, they are allegedly used to smuggle Iranian weapons and provide entry for senior Iranian officials.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Israel in what they called an act of solidarity with Israel Palestinians in Gaza.

Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo reported from the United Nations headquarters in New York that Ghebreyesus and his staff were evacuated to safety shortly after the airport attack.

“The United Nations tells us that all of their staff are unaccounted for. But make no mistake, this is a very close call,” Elizondo said.

U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told reporters that the delegation had just concluded a meeting on humanitarian situation in yemen and are negotiating the release of detained United Nations staff.

“The Secretary-General stressed that international law, including applicable humanitarian law, must always be respected, and he called on all to respect and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” she said.

“Humanitarian relief workers must also not be targeted and must be respected and protected at all times.”

Houthis pledge to fight back

On Thursday, the Houthis said they were ready to respond quickly to attacks and “escalate in response to escalation,” according to Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14 that Israel’s operation against the Houthis has just begun. “We’re just starting to use them,” he said.

The prime minister’s standing at home has been strengthened after Israeli forces attacked Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon and destroyed much of the Syrian army’s strategic weapons.

Rehman Hamdani, a Yemen researcher at ARK International Development Group, said the Israeli attack on the airport marked a serious escalation.

Hamdani also said that the Houthis were playing with fire by “doubling down” on their commitment to continue attacking Israel, and that the country was not equipped to deal with major conflict crises involving Israel.

“I think there is no turning back from what we are seeing today because the Houthis are determined to continue attacking Israel,” he said.

Last week, Israeli warplanes bombed Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people. The U.S. military also has Against the Houthis In Yemen these past few days.

Israel’s latest wave of attacks in Yemen comes after days of Houthi attacks and air raid sirens in Israel. The Houthis have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea corridor, saying they are supporting Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them children and women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.