Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed the offices of two United Nations agencies in the Yemeni capital on Sunday, a day after the Israeli military confirmed that they had killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed
al-Rahawi in Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa.
“Local security forces” entered the offices of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) on Sunday morning, spokespersons for the agencies told CNN. A WFP staff member was detained, as were several UNICEF staff members.
Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, confirmed that Houthi forces detained at least 11 UN personnel. He strongly condemned the detentions and the forced entry into UN premises.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also “strongly condemned” the arbitrary detentions of UN personnel as well as the forced entry and seizure of UN 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. The personnel of the UN & its partners must never be targeted while carrying out their duties.”
A Yemeni security source told AFP on Saturday that Houthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas “on suspicion of collaborating with Israel”. The Huthis also fired a missile at an Israeli tanker in the Red Sea on Sunday.
Houthis Hold Funeral For PM
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels held a funeral on Monday for their prime minister and 11 other senior officials killed in an Israeli air strike that penetrated the Iran-backed group. Twelve coffins draped in flags were displayed at Sanaa’s Al-Shaab mosque, as masked gunmen patrolled the area and thousands of mourners flooded in.
Al-Rahawi was killed alongside nine ministers and two cabinet officials in a strike on Sanaa on Thursday, the head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council confirmed, vowing revenge for the attack. It was the highest profile assassination to be announced in months of attacks by Israel during the Gaza war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the strikes that killed Al-Rahawi are “only the beginning” of his country’s campaign against the group. He pledged that the Houthis will “pay a very heavy price for their aggression against the State of Israel.”
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Israel since the Gaza war began and have targeted ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they allege are connected to Israel. The rebel group controls large parts of Yemen, which has been gripped by war since 2014, and is part of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance.
(with AFP inputs)