Houthi terrorists detained at least 11 United Nations staff in a raid on the international body’s offices in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Sunday, Reuters reported.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the action in an X post on Monday, saying that the Iranian-backed terrorist group forcibly entered the World Food Programme and other U.N. sites and confiscated property.
“I reiterate my demand for the immediate & unconditional release of all personnel from the United Nations, international & national NGOs, civil society & diplomatic missions who have been arbitrarily detained today & in previous years,” wrote Guterres. “The personnel of the UN & its partners must never be targeted while carrying out their duties.”
I strongly condemn the arbitrary detentions of at least 11 @UN personnel today by the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen in areas under their control. I further condemn the forced entry into @WFP & other UN premises & the seizure of UN property.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 1, 2025
I reiterate my demand for the…
The raid and detentions come days after an Israeli airstrike killed the Houthi prime minister and several of his Cabinet members. Jerusalem’s attack on the terror group’s leadership followed several strikes in recent months on infrastructure-related terror sites in Yemen, including Hudaydah port.
The Houthis started attacking the Jewish state in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion and massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. The Yemeni group said it had joined the war in an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Before the attack on Sanaa, the Houthis fired, for the first time, a missile containing a new type of cluster sub-munition at Israel. The Houthis fired another missile on Sunday night which fell on the way, triggering no sirens.
The vast majority of the missiles and drones have been intercepted, but some have penetrated Israel’s air defenses, including a direct hit at Ben Gurion International Airport.
The Houthi prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, was killed along with senior officials in the targeted strike in the Yemeni capital on Aug. 28, the Israel Defense Forces and the Houthis confirmed on Saturday.
The IDF stated on Saturday that it had “struck a facility that hosted dozens of senior officials of the Houthi terrorist regime.” These officials were “responsible for the use of force, the military buildup of the Houthi terror regime, and the advancement of terror actions against Israel, along with other key senior Houthi officials,” the military said.
The strike in Yemen—a distance of over 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from the Jewish state—“was made possible by seizing an intelligence opportunity and completing a rapid operational cycle, which took place within a few hours,” according to the IDF.
