Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa

Sanaa, Nov 9: Yemen’s Houthi group announced on Saturday that it had detained several Yemeni nationals accused of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, in the capital city of Sanaa.

In a statement carried by al-Masirah TV and cited by Xinhua News Agency, the Houthis claimed the suspects were collaborating with Mossad through a Saudi-based joint intelligence operation allegedly involving three foreign agencies — those of Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia.

According to the group, the detainees had been trained to compile intelligence reports, monitor both civilian and military facilities, and track the movements of senior Houthi officials. However, the Houthis did not disclose how many individuals were arrested nor did they present evidence to substantiate the allegations.

The group said that “confessions” from the accused would be broadcast later on their official television channel.

A source close to the Houthis told media outlets that most of those detained were employees of United Nations aid agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

This development comes only weeks after the UN secured the release of 20 foreign aid workers through mediation by Iran and Oman. Despite that breakthrough, at least 53 Yemeni UN staff remain in Houthi custody, along with dozens of local employees from international NGOs and diplomatic missions, according to UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg.

The arrests follow Israeli airstrikes in August that killed a dozen members of the Houthi-run cabinet and their military chief of staff, Mohammed Abdulkarim Al-Ghamari.

In the wake of those strikes — and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statement labelling the Houthis a threat to Israel’s existence — the group has heightened security measures in Sanaa and declared a state of general mobilization.

The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen including the capital, have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets and ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. However, these attacks have ceased following the Gaza ceasefire implemented last month.