Netanyahu says Israeli air strikes on Yemen to continue 'until the job is done' despite injury to WHO crew member

27 December 2024, 11:33

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue bombing Yemen "until the job is done" despite injuring the World Health Organisation chief being caught up in an attack on Thursday.

The Israeli Prime Minister said he was "determined to cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil". Yemeni officials said three people had died and 30 were injured in the attack.

The Yemeni Houthis, who like Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, said they would respond to the attacks on their capital's airport.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, said on Thursday that the airport of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, came under attack as he was about to board a flight.

Read more: Russian air defences 'may have brought down Azerbaijan Airlines plane'

Read more: Reform membership surpasses Conservatives, Nigel Farage claims

Mr Ghebreyesus had been in the country to negotiate the release of UN staff detainees and assess the health and humanitarian situation in the country.

The director confirmed he was not injured - but one of the plane’s crew members was.

Israel said the targets belong to what it calls "Houthi terrorists" backed by Iran - and the strikes are a response to the group's repeated attacks on Israel.

On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes that hit the airport of Tel Aviv in Israel

In a tweet, Mr Ghebreyesu said: "As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport came under aerial bombardment.

"One of our plane’s crew members was injured.

"At least two people were reported killed at the airport.

"The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged."

Houthi rebels in Yemen said Israeli air strikes have targeted the rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with power stations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech on Wednesday that "the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad's regime and others learned".

The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet reported the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details.

The US military has also targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. The United Nations has noted that the ports are important entry points for humanitarian aid.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv.

Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks.

The Houthis have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor in what they have say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.