The United Nations said on Friday that the Houthis who control northern Yemen had detained an unspecified number of U.N. personnel, and it was suspending movement in all Houthi-held areas while seeking the detainees' immediate release.
The Houthis, who are aligned to Iran, have attacked shipping in the Red Sea, drawing airstrikes from the United States and Britain. The United Nations also complained last June that the group had detained 11 members of its staff © Mena Today
The United Nations said on Friday that the Houthis who control northern Yemen had detained an unspecified number of U.N. personnel, and it was suspending movement in all Houthi-held areas while seeking the detainees' immediate release.
In a statement, the U.N. gave no further details about the arrests, which it said had taken place on Thursday in the area of the capital Sanaa.
All official movement of U.N. staff into or within Houth-held areas had been suspended to protect the safety of staff. The U.N. was actively engaging with senior Houthi representatives to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all its detained personnel and partners.
Houthi officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Houthis, who are aligned to Iran, have attacked shipping in the Red Sea, drawing airstrikes from the United States and Britain. The United Nations also complained last June that the group had detained 11 members of its staff.
The Houthis have also held around 20 Yemeni employees of the U.S. embassy in Sanaa for the past three years. The embassy suspended operations in 2014.
Reporting by Jana Choukeir in Dubai, Menna Alaa in Cairo and Mohammed Ghobari in Aden
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and urged the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah group to hold its fire as a 10-day truce went in to effect between Lebanon and Israel.
A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect on Thursday and President Donald Trump said the next meeting between the United States and Iran may take place over the weekend, adding to optimism that the Iran war could be nearing an end.
As the United States embarks on clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz, it could draw on an arsenal of drones, explosive‑laden robots and helicopters to reduce risks, though de‑mining crews could still be vulnerable to Iranian attacks.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.