The UN special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grendeberry, said on the evening of August 31 that at least 11 UN officials were detained by Houthi armed forces in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and Hodeida province on the same day.

The Houthis have not yet responded to this. The organization said the day before that it wanted to avenge many important members killed in Israeli air strikes.

Houthi forces detain UN personnel again, UN envoy calls for release

Grendeberry said Houthi militants broke into the United Nations offices in the local area and seized assets.This time, the total number of UN staff detained by Houthi armed forces reached 34, some of whom have been detained for years. Earlier this year, a UN staff member died while detained in northern Sadat province.

Yemeni humanitarian workers and security officials in Sana'a confirmed to Xinhua News Agency that Houthi armed forces detained a number of World Food Program staff in United Nations offices in Sana'a and Hodeidah. Houthi armed forces also detained and questioned several UNICEF staff.

Yemeni sources said that after the 28th Israeli air strikes on the head of the Houthi armed administration killed several militants, Houthi armed intelligence forces have detained dozens of people in Sanaa and elsewhere, including local humanitarian and international aid personnel, on the grounds that they are suspected of collusion with Israel.

After several high-ranking officials were killed, the Houthis vowed revenge

Mahdi Mashat, chairman of the Houthi Supreme Political Committee, said in a televised speech broadcast by the organization's Mazilla television station on Thursday that a retaliatory counterattack would be launched soon, stressing that the Houthi armed forces "will remain unchanged on the Gaza Strip until the aggression ceases and the siege is lifted."

A few hours ago, the Houthi armed forces issued a statement saying that Ahmed Lahavi, the head of the organization's administrative body, and several colleagues were killed by Israeli air strikes when they held their annual work meeting on the 28th, and some other members of the organization were injured and are being treated in hospital.

According to Massila TV reports, the Houthi armed forces have appointed the deputy director of the administrative agency, Mohammad Mifta, to succeed Rahabi.

The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement on the evening of the 30th, saying that the Israeli army "seized the intelligence opportunity and completed the rapid operation cycle within a few hours" on the 28th, and attacked a facility in Sanaa, killing Rahavi and several military officials of the Houthi armed forces and several political leadership officials. The specific results are yet to be confirmed.

Since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, Houthi forces have launched attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Houthi armed forces have also repeatedly used missiles and drones to attack targets in Israel, while Israel has launched many air strikes on areas controlled by the Houthi armed forces. (Reporter: Yin Wei)