NewDelhi: Airstrikes aimed at the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, both the airport and nearby ports, were launched by Israel on December 26, 2024. The strikes coincided with the visit of the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who had a close call and was not injured during the attack.
Dr. Tedros was stationed in Sana’a to negotiate the swap of UN personnel held captive by the Houthi rebels for several months. He posted on the social media platform X that he and his team boarded the plane before the Israeli attack started. According to him, it was the most chaotic time of his whole life as the heavy bombardment was raining down on the airport. Unfortunately, one flight attendant with his team got injured, and because of the strikes, the event ended with two people at the airport who were not among the team members losing their lives. Though having a trauma of the experience, Dr. Tedros announced that he and his colleagues were fine but were supposed to wait for the airport to be repaired before they could leave.
The airstrikes have been condemned by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has highlighted the necessity of compliance with international law. Guterres expressed that the targeting of civilians and humanitarian workers is never justified. Besides, he voiced his concerns regarding grievous infrastructure damage caused by airports and power stations in Yemen.
Houthi rebels had earlier claimed responsibility for missile attacks on the Israeli territory, mention of which was made prior to these airstrikes, and their explanation was that these were Israel’s actions in response to their own assaults.
The new wave of fighting is backed by İslamic Jihad, who launched a battery of missiles against Israel starting from October 2023. These military attacks occurred amid the ongoing conflicts in Gaza. The IDF has retaliated against Houthi members with sporadic strikes throughout Yemen, all with the ultimate goal of crippling their military apparatus.
With tensions flaring up between the Israelis and the Houthi militias, the whole scenario is very prone. The international community is continuing to observe things closely as the humanitarian issues become severe and even more so amidst the ongoing brutality in Yemen.
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