A former advisor to the party of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Newshour. It follows the strike on a Yemeni airport on Thursday which was carried out by Israel. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom, earlier told the BBC that Israel should have known he was in Sanaa International Airport when the missile struck and says the site should not have been hit. Also on the programme: Russian President Vladimir Putin apologises over a passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan but does not officially acknowledge Russia’s responsibility; and chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen quits a tournament after being told he can’t wear jeans to play. (Photo: An airport staff member stands beside shattered windows at Sanaa airport, a day after Israeli airstrikes targeted the airport, 27 December 2024. Credit: YAHYA ARHAB/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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Hello there.
Welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.
We're coming to you live from London.
I'm Ben James.
The head of the World Health Organization has told the BBC that he assumes Israel knew he was at Yemen's international airport on Thursday when they hit it with airstrikes.
The presence of someone with his global profile has thrown a new spotlight on the escalating conflict between Israel and the Iran backed Houthi group.
After months of Houthi attacks, including on Tel Aviv a week ago, Israel says it was targeting military infrastructure at the airport in Sana'a.
Footage from inside a terminal building appears to show passengers abandoning trolleys piled with suitcases and running outside.
The WHO is a UN agency and its head, Dr.
Tedros Adhanam Gebruyesus was in the airport on a trip to negotiate the release of UN staff members detained by by the Houthis.
He's been giving his account of what's happened to the BBC's Sean Farrington.
We didn't want to miss the window of opportunity we got in order to have our colleagues be released from detention.
And you know, it's a holiday season also when almost everybody is having resting.
But we prefer to prioritize our colleagues.
And that's why I accepted the mission and representing the Secretary General and travel to negotiate.
And the discussion was actually good and we agreed on very important four points for their release.
But then on Thursday after we concluded our mission, left for the airport and while waiting to board and almost close to walking to the airport, to the airplane actually to board, we heard a heavy explosion nearby and then I think repeated, I saw actually a video that surfaced now colleagues and people from the airport actually took me out of the room.
We were.
What do you remember?