Iran-backed Hoothi rebels stormed the offices of two UN agencies in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday, a day after Israel said they had killed the prime minister of a rebelliously controlled government.
The Office World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) were “entered by local security forces” on Sunday morning, spokesmen for the agency told CNN in separate statements.
WFP staff have been detained, as did many UNICEF staff.
Hans Grandberg, the UN envoy in Yemen, later confirmed that at least 11 UN officials were in detention, adding that he was “strongly” detained and condemned forced entry into UN facilities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also denounced the Houcis’ actions, calling for “immediate and unconditional release” of those detained by rebel groups.
Guterres pointed out that other people working at the United Nations, as well as those working in NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions, have been detained in Yemen in arbitrarily since 2021.
“The UN and its partners’ officials must not be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out the UN’s duties,” he said. “The United Nations will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safe and immediate release of all arbitrarily detained individuals.”
WFP and UNICEF are “urgently seeking additional information” from local governments, their spokesperson told CNN, adding that “the immediate priorities are the safety and happiness of our staff.”
It is unclear whether the attack is related to an Israeli attack. Houthis has previously targeted the United Nations and other international organizations.
The unsupported government, Moamar al-Elini, has strongly condemned the news agency, reported by Saba News, a Yemeni news agency.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the strike that killed Yemen’s Houthi rebel prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawy was the “beginning” of the country’s campaign against his group.
Al Rahawi was killed along with other Hoothi authorities on a strike in Sanaa on Thursday, confirmed by the head of the Hoothis Supreme Political Council and vowed to revenge against the attack.
The rebel groups regularly launch missiles in Israel and launch attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Revenge against Israeli attacks in Gaza is regular.
Netanyahu vowed that the Houtis will “pay a very heavy price for the attack on Israel.”
“We’re doing something no one has done before us. This is just the beginning of the strike of senior officials in Sanaa. We’ll reach them all,” the Israeli leader told a government meeting on Sunday.
Since 2014, Yemen has split between Sanaa and the Hooti government, which controls most of the north, and its rival but widely recognized regime in the south.
