Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they have taken into custody several Yemeni men accused of spying for Israel. The arrests were announced from Sanaa on November 9 by the Houthi statement.
According to the group, the detained men worked with the Israeli secret service, Mossad, through a Saudi‑based joint operations centre. The Houthis claim the cell involved three foreign intelligence agencies – Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia – and trained the men to collect reports, watch cities and track Houthi commanders.
The rebels did not disclose how many people were arrested or share any evidence. They said the detainees’ “confessions” would be aired later on the Houthi satellite channel al‑Masirah.
Sources close to the movement say many of the new captives are employees of United Nations aid agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. This follows a 2024 UN effort that released 20 foreign aid workers, with the help of Iran and Oman, and flew them out of Yemen.
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg has warned that at least 53 Yemeni UN staff members are still held by the Houthis, along with dozens of other NGO employees and diplomats.
The arrests come after Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa in August that killed a dozen Houthi cabinet members and the group’s chief of staff, Mohammed Abdulkarim Al‑Ghamari. In response, the Houthis have tightened security in the capital and declared a general mobilisation, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to destroy the group.
While the Houthis claim to be defending Yemen against Israeli influence, they have also launched ballistic missiles and drone attacks against Israeli ports and ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians during the Gaza war. Their attacks halted when the Gaza ceasefire took effect last month.
Source: ianslive
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