Iran-backed Houthis raid UN offices in Yemen, detain at least 11 employees

Iran-backed Houthis stormed United Nations (UN) offices in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, detaining at least 11 staff members and seizing property, UN officials said on Sunday, 31 August,.

The raids targeted the offices of the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and UNICEF, where staff were interrogated before several were taken into custody.

UN secretary-general António Guterres condemned the detentions, the forced entry into UN premises, and the seizure of property, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the personnel. UNICEF and WFP said they were conducting a head count of their staff across Houthi-controlled areas.

"The continued arbitrary detention of all such persons is intolerable," Guterres said.

"The United Nations will continue to work tirelessly to secure the safe and immediate release of all arbitrarily detained individuals. The United Nations and its partners will continue to support the people of Yemen and their aspirations for a just and lasting peace," the UN chief said.

The crackdown followed an Israeli airstrike on Thursday that killed Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, foreign minister Gamal Amer, and at least four other Cabinet members, along with deputy interior minister Abdel-Majed al-Murtada.

Defense minister Mohamed Nasser al-Attefi survived, while interior minister Abdel-Karim al-Houthi was absent from the meeting that was struck. A funeral for those killed is scheduled in central Sanaa on Monday.

The Houthis, who have carried out missile and drone attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping, vowed to escalate operations. Their leader declared that targeting Israel with missiles, drones, and naval blockades would remain “continuous, steady, and escalating.”

UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expressed concern that Yemen risks becoming a battlefield in wider regional conflicts, urging de-escalation. The strike came days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile armed with cluster munitions at Israel, triggering air raid sirens across central Israel and Jerusalem.

With agency inputs