A source at the UN office in Yemen told Xinhua news agency reporter on October 20, that 20 UN employees were still detained by Houthis, including 15 foreigners and 5 Yemenis, in the residential district of the United Foreign Employees in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

The source said the Houthi armed forces attacked the United Foreign Employees Residential District on the 18th and released 11 local employees on the 19th night, while the remaining 20 were still held there.

The source said Houthi intelligence personnel were still stationed in the residential area and continued to interrogate detained United Nations employees. But the employees were allowed limited contact with their families.

It is reported that the detainees include Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in Yemen, and foreign representatives of several United Nations agencies and international organizations.

Abdul Malik al-Hussein, leader of the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, said in a televised speech on the 16th that there are "dangerous spy groups" within humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen. They assisted Israel in attacking the Houthi armed forces in Sanaa in August.