‘I saw the blood on the tarmac’: top UN official in Yemen recounts aftermath of Israel airstrike on civilian airport
December 27, 2024
Sana’a, Yemen
A top United Nations official in Yemen has recounted the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a civilian airport in the country’s capital, Sana’a, which killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more.
Lise Grande, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, visited the airport on Thursday and spoke to survivors of the attack.
“I saw the blood on the tarmac,” she said. “I saw the twisted metal and the destroyed buildings. I spoke to people who had lost loved ones, who had been injured, and who were still in shock.”
Grande said that the attack was a “clear violation of international law” and that it had “caused immense suffering.”
“This was a civilian airport,” she said. “There were no military targets in the area. This was a deliberate attack on civilians.”
The Israeli government has denied responsibility for the attack, but Grande said that there was “overwhelming evidence” that Israel was responsible.
“We have eyewitness accounts from people who saw the Israeli planes carrying out the attack,” she said. “We have satellite imagery that shows the planes taking off from an Israeli airbase.”
Grande called on the international community to condemn the attack and to hold Israel accountable.
“This cannot be allowed to stand,” she said. “We must not let Israel get away with this.”
The airstrike on Sana’a airport is the latest in a series of attacks by Israel on civilian targets in Yemen. In August, Israel bombed a hospital in the city of Taiz, killing at least 19 people. In September, Israel bombed a school in the city of Sa’ada, killing at least 40 children.
The attacks have been condemned by the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union. However, Israel has continued to carry out airstrikes in Yemen, despite the international outcry.
The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing since 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized control of the capital, Sana’a. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the conflict in 2015, and has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis ever since.
The war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with millions of people facing hunger, disease, and displacement. The airstrikes have also destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and homes.
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