Oil prices climbed on Friday as Israeli strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels triggered what one strategist described as a “fear bid” for the commodity.

The head of the World Health Organization said he was about to board a flight in the Yemeni capital when the airport came under bombardment.

Israel has banned the pan-Arab Al Jazeera network and accused six of its Gaza reporters of being militants. The Qatar-based broadcaster denies the allegations and accuses Israel of trying to silence its war coverage, which has focused heavily on civilian casualties from Israeli military operations.