"UN staffer seized by Houthis in Sana'a agency raids"

Houthis Seize UN Offices in Sana’a Following Senior Leadership Deaths

Security forces linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen have entered the offices of United Nations agencies focused on food aid and child welfare in the capital, Sana’a, detaining at least one UN employee, according to officials. The move follows heightened security measures by the group after Israeli strikes killed several high-ranking Houthi officials, including their prime minister.

A representative for the World Food Programme stated that armed personnel entered the agencies' facilities on Sunday. "WFP emphasizes that the unjustified holding of aid workers is unacceptable," the spokesperson said.

A Unicef spokesperson confirmed an unresolved situation involving their Sana’a offices but did not elaborate further. A UN official indicated that several other staff members from both agencies were unaccounted for and were likely also taken into custody.

This marks the latest in a series of actions against UN personnel and other international bodies operating in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen. Over time, the group has detained numerous UN employees, as well as individuals connected to humanitarian organizations and former diplomatic missions, including the now-shuttered US embassy in Sana’a.

Earlier this year, the UN halted operations in the northern Houthi stronghold of Saada after eight of its workers were seized in January.

The recent detentions occurred after an Israeli attack killed the Houthi prime minister along with members of his cabinet. The strike dealt a significant setback to the Iran-aligned group, which has carried out assaults against Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Among the deceased were the prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi; foreign minister Gamal Amer; deputy prime minister and local development minister Mohammed al-Medani; electricity minister Ali Seif Hassan; tourism minister Ali al-Yafei; and information minister Hashim Sharafuldin, according to Houthi sources and relatives of the victims.

Additionally, a high-ranking deputy interior minister, Abdel-Majed al-Murtada, was killed. A Houthi statement described the officials as having been targeted during a "routine government workshop reviewing the previous year’s operations."

Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser al-Attefi survived the attack, while Abdel-Karim al-Houthi, the interior minister and a key figure in the movement, was not present during the strike.

The Houthis had previously launched a ballistic missile toward Israel on 21 August, marking their first use of a cluster munition against the country since 2023. The missile, which they claimed was aimed at Ben Gurion airport, triggered air raid warnings across central Israel and Jerusalem.

The group has previously warned of increased strikes against Israeli-linked maritime traffic in the Red Sea.