Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim detained UN employees were espionage agents for Israel and America, days after an Israeli strike killed 12 senior Houthi officials.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated tensions with the international community, accusing 11 United Nations employees of espionage for Israel and the United States, AFP reported Thursday.
A Houthi official, speaking anonymously, declared: “Those who were arrested from among the United Nations employees are accused of spying for the American and Israeli aggression. Whoever has the accusations against them confirmed will be referred to trial.”
The detainees reportedly include staffers from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF—agencies that play a critical role in providing food, medicine, and humanitarian support to Yemen’s war-torn population.
In addition to the UN employees, Yemeni security sources said dozens more individuals were rounded up on Saturday, suspected of “collaborating with Israel.”
The arrests come on the heels of last week’s Israeli airstrike on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, which the IDF confirmed eliminated 12 senior Houthi officials. The strike was part of Israel’s ongoing campaign against the Houthis, who have launched repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
The detentions now put international humanitarian operations in Yemen at risk, raising fears that aid workers could increasingly become pawns in the Houthis’ war with Israel and its Western allies.
