The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday he was not sure he was going to survive an air strike on Yemen's main airport carried out by Israel a day earlier during a series of attacks on the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says it quickly became apparent the airport was under attack, with strikes "alarmingly" close to where he was sitting near the departure lounge.

Israel has reportedly launched a multi-wave attack across Yemen in retaliation for Houthi missile and drone strikes. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel Defense Forces warplanes hit Sanaa International Airport in the capital,