UN condemns Israeli attacks on Houthis and denounces Houthi claims of espionage
Following the killing of senior Houthi military official, Chief of Staff Mohammed Abdulkarim al-Ghamari, Israel and its Defense Minister Katz have claimed responsibility. Condemning the attack, the United Nations also categorically rejected accusations by Houthi leaders of UN espionage in Yemen and reiterated its calls for the immediate release of UN personnel detained there.
United Nations
Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali
On October 7, 2025, nine additional United Nations personnel were detained by Yemen’s Houthi authorities, bringing the total number of UN staff arbitrarily held since 2021 to 53. Today, Dujarric reiterated calls for the unconditional release of all UN staff and categorically rejected accusations by the Houthi de facto authorities alleging UN personnel were complicit in “espionage tactics.”
Dujarric added today, “we saw the very public accusations by the Houthi leadership against our UN staff.” The accusations he adds are “extremely disturbing, and extremely worrying.” “Calling UN staff spys or terrorists” he adds, “only puts the lives of UN staff everywhere at risk at that is unacceptable.”
The Houthis have not commented on the most recent arrests. However, in previous statements, they have linked the crackdown to alleged “espionage networks” involving international groups operating in Houthi-controlled territories.
In August, Houthi forces raided UN offices in Sana’a and detained 19 employees, later releasing UNICEF Deputy Director Lana Shukri Kataw. Earlier this year, the UN suspended its operations in the Houthi stronghold of Saada following the detention of eight staff members in January. The UN’s top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen has since been relocated from Sana’a to Aden, which serves as the seat of the internationally recognized government.
The ongoing crackdown comes amid heightened regional tensions, as Houthi forces—backed by Iran—continue cross-border attacks against Israel in response to the war in Gaza. The group has also targeted vessels in the Red Sea, accusing them of links to Israel. Israel, in turn, has launched retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
Yemen’s civil war, now in its eleventh year, began when the Houthis seized the capital Sana’a in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to restore the government, but the conflict has since reached a protracted stalemate despite intermittent peace talks and localized ceasefires.
