Houthi Rebels Detain 20 UN Staff in Sanaa as Iran Reaffirms Support for the Group
Raid on UN compound in Sanaa deepens international concern as Tehran vows stronger support for Yemen’s Huthi rebels following the death of their top military commander.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The United Nations said Sunday that Yemen’s Houthi rebels are holding 20 of its personnel — including UNICEF’s country representative — following a raid on the organization’s compound in the capital, Sanaa, a move that has deepened international alarm over the group’s escalating hostility toward humanitarian operations.
According to UN spokesperson Jean Alam, “five national staff and fifteen international staff remain detained within the compound” after Houthi security forces made an “unauthorized entry” into the UN building on Saturday.
He added that the UN is in contact with the de facto authorities in Sanaa, the government of Yemen, and relevant member states “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities.”
A UN official later confirmed that Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, was among those detained — a fact corroborated by two Houthi security sources.
The latest raid follows a pattern of intensifying Houthi crackdowns on international organizations.
On August 31, the rebels stormed UN offices in Sanaa and detained at least 11 employees, accusing them of espionage for the United States and Israel.
The UN condemned the arrests, calling them arbitrary and politically motivated.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, described the accusations as “dangerous and unacceptable,” reiterating the organization’s demand for the release of 53 detained UN staff members and dozens of NGO workers currently held in Houthi-controlled areas.
Rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi recently claimed his forces had dismantled “one of the most dangerous spy cells” allegedly linked to humanitarian organizations such as the World Food Program and UNICEF, an accusation that humanitarian agencies have strongly denied.
The worsening security environment for aid workers comes as Yemen continues to endure one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with ten years of civil war having devastated infrastructure, displaced millions, and left over 21 million people in need of assistance.
In a related development, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) publicly reiterated its backing for the Houthi movement.
On Sunday, IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour expressed Tehran’s readiness to “strengthen strategic ties” with the group, in what he called a message of “condolence and congratulations” over the death of Houthi Chief of Staff Mohammed Abdulkarim Ghamari.
Pakpour pledged continued support for “the Houthis and the liberation of holy Quds,” signaling Iran’s intent to deepen its alliance with the Yemeni group.
The remarks followed Houthi confirmation that Ghamari was killed in an Israeli-American strike earlier this week, after which Yusuf Hassan Madani was appointed as the group’s new military chief.
The developments highlight the deepening nexus between Yemen’s internal conflict and broader regional tensions, as the Houthis’ alignment with Iran continues to draw them into the orbit of Tehran’s regional agenda — and increasingly at odds with the international community’s humanitarian and security objectives.
