The Media Line: Houthis Detain UN Staff After Israeli Strike Kills Rebel Prime Minister 

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Houthis Detain UN Staff After Israeli Strike Kills Rebel Prime Minister 

By The Media Line Staff 

The United Nations said Sunday that Houthi forces in Yemen raided UN facilities and detained at least 11 staff members in the rebel-held cities of Sanaa and Al Hudaydah (Hodeida). The arrests come days after an Israeli strike killed the Houthis’ prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, fueling a wave of detentions and escalations by the Iran-backed group. 

Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy to Yemen, condemned the raids, saying: “I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sanaa and Hodeida … as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property.” He demanded that the detainees be “immediately and unconditionally” released, stating that the “arrests violate the fundamental obligation to respect and protect their safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their essential work in Yemen.” He added that the Houthis were already holding 23 UN workers, some since 2021. 

The World Food Programme confirmed that one of its staff members was among those detained on Sunday, while other reports indicated that employees of both the WFP and UNICEF were arrested. The agency said the detentions were “unacceptable” and warned that they undermine efforts to deliver urgently needed aid. 

The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 and now control much of Yemen after years of civil war against forces aligned with the internationally recognized government. The conflict has left more than half of the country’s population dependent on aid. 

Houthi leaders have vowed to expand attacks against Israel following Rahawi’s death. Since late 2023, the group has targeted Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, drawing retaliatory strikes from Israel and its allies.