Several Yemenis working for the United Nations in the rebel-held capital Sanaa have been detained on accusations of spying for Israel, a Houthi security official told AFP Friday, in the latest arrests targeting the world body's staff.
Earlier this week, 20 UN staff, including 15 foreigners, were released after being held in their compound since a raid last weekend.
The rebels have harassed and detained UN staff and aid workers for years, accusing them of spying, but they have accelerated arrests since the start of the Gaza war.
"Seven United Nations employees, all of them Yemenis, have been arrested from late last night until this afternoon on charges of spying for Israel," a security source in Sanaa told AFP.
Another Houthi source confirmed UN employees had been arrested but did not specify how many.
The UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government in Aden -- which opposes the Houthis -- condemned the new arrests, labeling them an escalation.
The Houthis, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and the United States, have frequently fired at ships in the Red Sea and at Israeli territory during the two-year Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has launched numerous retaliatory strikes, including a major attack in August that killed the Houthis' premier and nearly half of his cabinet.
Earlier this month, rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi accused UN employees of having a hand in the attack without offering evidence. The UN has rejected the claim.
In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was transferred from Sanaa to the interim capital, Aden.
AFP
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