Yemen’s Houthi rebels have arrested three local United Nations employees, including two women, accusing them of espionage on behalf of Israel, a security source from the group told AFP on Sunday.
“Two women working for the World Food Programme were taken from their homes on Saturday,” the source said, referring to the arrests in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa. A Yemeni man, also employed by the WFP, was arrested later that night.
The source added, “Security and intelligence services in Sanaa still have a list of people wanted for collaborating with the Israeli and American enemy.”
These arrests are the latest in a broader crackdown by the Houthis on UN. Earlier this week, seven other local UN staffers were detained on similar accusations of collusion with Israel.
Last week, the Houthi rebels released 12 international United Nations staff members and allowed three others to move freely within the UN compound in Sanaa, days after detaining them during a raid on the facility in Yemen’s capital.
According to the United Nations, the Houthis have arrested 55 of its personnel since 2021.
Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi has accused UN agencies, including the World Food Programme and UNICEF, of engaging in “aggressive espionage.” He further claimed that some of these organizations were involved in Israeli airstrikes that targeted a cabinet meeting in August, resulting in the death of the group’s prime minister.