"Yesterday, October 18, 2025, Ansar Allah security personnel entered the United Nations compound in Sanaa without permission. According to our latest information, 11 national staff members were released after interrogation. 5 national staff and 15 international staff are still in custody at the complex," the source said.

According to him, the UN is in contact with the authorities in Sanaa, as well as the internationally recognized government of Yemen, in order to "resolve this serious incident as soon as possible, secure the release of all detained staff and restore full control over its facilities."

According to the Al Arabiya TV channel, in recent days, cases of Houthi attacks on facilities of international organizations in the capital of Yemen have become more frequent. According to a UN TV channel source, another wave of escalation began after the recent statement by rebel leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi about the existence of "dangerous spy cells" allegedly linked to humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen.

In a recent appeal to his supporters, al-Houthi said he had "irrefutable evidence" of the involvement of UN World Food Program officials in transferring intelligence data to Israel that helped launch attacks on Sanaa in August 2025. The victims of these attacks were several high-ranking members of the movement, including the head of the government formed by the Houthis and the chief of the general staff of the armed forces of the rebels.

The Houthis' rhetoric against UN agencies and humanitarian organizations working in Yemen has sharply intensified in recent months amid Israeli strikes on rebel targets. In early October, the Houthis detained nine UN staff members who were charged with espionage. According to the official representative of the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric, a total of 53 employees of the world organization have been detained in Houthi-controlled territory since 2021. tass.ru.