Day: December 27, 2024

Israeli aviation reportedly struck the airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, while a civilian Airbus-320 plane with hundreds of passengers was landing. The airstrike also injured members of a UN delegation, reports the Associated Press (AP).

UN’s top humanitarian official in Yemen, Julien Harneis, told the agency that two airstrikes on Thursday, December 26, affected him and around 15 others who were in the VIP lounge of Sana’a International Airport. Among those present was WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

However, according to Harneis, the most terrifying part was the destruction of the airport’s control tower while a Yemeni Airways plane was taxiing after landing.

“Fortunately, that plane was able to land safely and the passengers were able to disembark, but it could have been far, far worse,” the UN representative said during a video press conference from Sanaa.

According to Harneis, around 4:45 PM local time, one missile struck approximately 300 meters south of the VIP lounge, and another hit about 300 meters to the north. At that moment, around five members of the UN team were outside the building.

“Not only obviously did we have zero indication of any potential airstrikes, but we cannot remember the last time there were airstrikes in Sanaa during daylight hours,” Harneis said.

He added that immediately after the airstrikes, UN security staff evacuated the delegation from the VIP building and placed them in five armored vehicles, where they waited for about 40 minutes to assess the situation and provide assistance to an injured crew member.

Harneis added that he sustained a serious shrapnel wound to his leg and lost a lot of blood. He was transported to a hospital in Sanaa, where he underwent surgery for four hours, while the rest of the delegation spent the night at the UN premises.

The plane carrying WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the UN team, including the injured crew member, was able to depart for Jordan in the afternoon of December 27 – despite the airport’s control tower being out of service.

The UN reported that the injured crew member was taken to a hospital in Jordan, and Ghebreyesus returned to Geneva to the WHO headquarters.

Israel’s response

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they targeted Sanaa airport due to its use by the Houthi rebels and Iran. According to the military, they were unaware of the presence of the WHO Director-General and the UN delegation at the airport.

In response, Harneis emphasized that the airport is a civilian facility, not a military one, and is used for the transportation of UN and other humanitarian workers, as well as for a single civilian flight between Yemen and Amman, Jordan. He noted that this flight operates under an international agreement, and thousands of Yemenis have used it to access modern medical treatment abroad.

According to the UN representative, in addition to the airstrikes on Sanaa airport on December 26, Israel also targeted the key port of Hudaydah in western Yemen. An IDF airstrike destroyed two tugboats and, according to estimates, reduced the port’s capacity by 50%.

The UN reported that as a result of Israeli airstrikes, at least three people were killed, and dozens were injured. Among the wounded was a crew member of the UN humanitarian air service, who was preparing to evacuate a UN delegation of about 20 people from Sanaa.

Israel and Yemeni Houthi attacks

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip, the Houthi group in Yemen has been launching drone and missile strikes against Israel. In response, the Israeli army has targeted the positions of the terrorists.

It was previously reported that Israeli strikes on December 26 affected the delegation of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO Director-General was in Yemen to discuss the escalating humanitarian crisis and to negotiate the release of about 50 individuals held by the Houthis since June, through the efforts of the UN, NGOs, and civil society.

Recently, the Israeli army also intercepted a ballistic missile from Yemen using the THAAD missile defense system.

The previous exchange of strikes between Israel and Yemen occurred on December 21. After Houthi attacks on the Israeli capital, explosions were heard in Sanaa just a few hours later. It was later revealed that the attack had been carried out by US military forces.

On the night of December 28, airstrikes involving drones occurred in the Voronezh and Belgorod regions of Russia. As a result of the drone attack in Voronezh, railway infrastructure was damaged, while in Belgorod, a settlement was left without electricity, according to the governors of Voronezh and Belgorod regions, Alexander Gusev and Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Voronezh region

According to a local official, in one of the districts of the region, during the fall of drone debris, the railway’s contact network was severed, causing train delays.

“Currently, one train is delayed, and additional delays are expected for other trains,” the governor wrote on his Telegram channel.

The Russian official claims that over 10 drones were allegedly destroyed in the suburbs of Voronezh and several areas of the region.

“According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. A special headquarters has been set up by the South-Eastern Railway to expedite the recovery efforts… The threat of drone attacks in the Voronezh region remains,” the head of the Voronezh region stated.

Belgorod region

Meanwhile, the governor of Belgorod region shared on his Telegram channel that the Krasnoyaruzhsky district was targeted in a drone attack. The official holds Ukraine responsible for this airstrike.

According to him, one of the drones struck the village of Verkhososna, damaging a power line, and leaving the village temporarily without electricity. The governor added that emergency crews are working to restore power.

Furthermore, the Russian official reported that in the village of Palatovo, due to the detonation of a drone, two people were injured and hospitalized.

“In the village, windows were broken and facades were damaged in three residential houses,” said Gladkov.

It should be noted that earlier reports indicated that on December 25, drones attacked the military airfield Baltimor in Voronezh.

On December 19, explosions in the Voronezh region were also reported following a drone strike.

Additionally, on the evening of October 27, a drone attack once again targeted the Ethanol Spirit distillery in Novokhopyorsk, Voronezh region. This facility, which is also used in Russia for producing fuel for military purposes and explosives, had previously been targeted in drone strikes that same month.

The construction process has begun for a railway that will connect China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, bypassing Russia. The new railway will facilitate the transportation of goods from China through Central Asia to European Union countries, reports the Tazabek.

On December 27, during the ceremony marking the start of the railway construction in Kyrgyzstan, President Sadyr Japarov stated that the new railway would not only be a strategic project but also a vital link between the West and the East.

“The new China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway corridor will be a branch of the southern bridge of the Eurasian continent and will open access to the markets of Western Asia and the Middle East. This route will allow goods to be transported from China to Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, and from there to Turkey and onwards to the European Union,” Japarov said.

He also added that the project would strengthen regional ties and diversify transport routes, increasing the region’s competitiveness as a transit hub.

Features of the project

The railway will run from the city of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, passing through Torugart, Makmal, and Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan, to Andijan in Uzbekistan.

In the future, the railway is planned to be connected with other Central Asian countries. From there, goods will be transported to the Caspian Sea, Türkiye, and Europe.

The total cost of the project is $4.7 billion. The investment agreement was signed on December 20 in Bishkek between the governments of Kyrgyzstan and the railway company China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan. In the joint venture, Beijing holds a 51% stake, while Bishkek and Tashkent each hold 24.5%.

The planned transport volume is set at 15 million tons. It is expected that the railway will reduce delivery times for goods from China to Europe by seven days.

Projects of the Chinese Silk Road

In 2013, China launched an ambitious infrastructure initiative called the Belt and Road (BRI), also known as One Belt, One Road.

It envisions the functioning of the economic Silk Road belt: a land route that traverses Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, as well as the maritime Silk Road of the 21st century: a sea route connecting China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Europe.

In June this year, Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Beijing, where he discussed with President Xi Jinping the development of the infrastructure network connecting China, Central Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.