Published On 31 Oct 2025
Yemen’s acting foreign minister, Abdulwahid Abu Ras, claimed a cell within the UN’s World Food Programme was directly attempting to attack the government.
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In the first such attack to result in the death of senior officials, an Israeli bombing in the capital Sanaa in August killed the Houthi prime minister and nine other ministers.
A total of 36 UN employees were detained on Friday, according to the UN, which has repeatedly refuted Houthi accusations. The organization is reportedly holding at least 59 UN personnel.
According to Abu Ras, security organizations were “agissant under full judicial supervision” and public prosecutors were “being kept informed step-by-step.” He claimed that the procedure would “produce trials and the issuance of judicial rulings.”
Senior Houthi official Nasruddin Amer also confirmed to the dpa news agency on Friday that the UN workers who had been detained would be tried on suspicion of spying for Israel.
According to Amer, “the judiciary will determine the penalty for those accused of spying for Israel in accordance with Yemeni law.” We did not pass this law, they said. Previous governments have used and used it in the nation as a law.
According to Yemeni law, the UN defendants are Yemenis and face the death penalty.
Trial is “not against the organizations.”
According to Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general, hundreds of UN personnel, including a small number of international staff, are still stationed in parts of Yemen.
On Sunday, Houthi security forces eluded Sanaa’s various UN offices. According to the UN, Yemen’s humanitarian assistance program is being conducted in increasingly challenging circumstances.
The trial is not against the organizations, but against those who carried out espionage against our country and our people, Amer told dpa.
Abu Ras asserted that the Houthis are “assist organizations committed to the principles of humanitarian work, facilitating their activities and work,” and that they are supporting humanitarian efforts.
The World Food Programme did not respond right away.
The Houthis claim to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians who are being attacked in Gaza since Israel launched its war against it in October 2023, and they have launched drone and missile attacks against Israel.
Israel has frequently struck the war-torn nation, killing dozens of people at once, while also destroying civilian infrastructure, including residential structures and the country’s main international airport.










