Houthi rebels raid UN premises in Yemen, detain at least 11 people

They forcibly entered World Food Programme premises, seized UN property and attempted to enter other UN offices in the capital, the UN chief says

Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Sanaa, Yemen Aug 15, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels raided United Nations offices in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday and detained at least 11 UN personnel, the body said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Houthis forcibly entered World Food Programme premises, seized UN property and attempted to enter other UN offices in the capital.

The raid followed an Israeli strike on Sanaa on Thursday that killed the prime minister of Yemen's Houthi-run government and several other ministers.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a separate statement that the 11 staff were detained in both Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah.

UNICEF, the UN Development Programme and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are among other UN agencies with offices in one or both of the two cities.

Grundberg said the detentions were in addition to 23 other UN staff previously detained, some since 2021, and one who died in detention this year.