Houthi forces stormed aid offices in Yemen on Sunday, detaining at least 11 staff members days after an Israeli strike killed the group’s prime minister and senior ministers, officials said.
According to United Nations officials, Houthi rebels raided United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) offices in Sana’a and Hodeida, as well as World Food Program (WFP) facilities.
“I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sanaa and Hodeida… as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property. At least 11 UN personnel were detained,” Hans Grundberg, the U.N. envoy for Yemen said in a statement.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government also denounced the attack.
Houthi rebels previously detained aid workers, civil society activists, and staff from the closed U.S. Embassy. In January, the U.N. halted operations in Saada after eight employees were arrested.
The recent raid followed Thursday’s Israeli airstrike in Sanaa, which killed the Houthi government’s Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and six Cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Gamal Amer and Information Minister Hashim Sharafuldin.
🔴 ELIMINATED: Houthi Prime Minister, Ahmed Al-Rahawi, along with additional senior officials of the Houthi terrorist regime were eliminated during an IDF strike in Sanaa, Yemen.
At the facility struck were senior officials responsible for the use of force, the military buildup…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 30, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said killing al-Rahawi was “only the beginning,” vowing further attacks on Houthi leaders for targeting Israel and shipping in the Red Sea.
