Yemen’s Houthi rebels detain 11 UN staffers as well as aid workers in sudden crackdown

By JON GAMBRELL and BARAA ANWER
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Eleven Yemeni employees of United Nations agencies have been detained by Yemen’s Houthi rebels under unclear circumstances. That’s according to the U.N. A human rights group said people working for aid groups also likely have been detained, with Save the Children and CARE International acknowledging their staff had been taken. The detentions come as the Houthis have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war. The group has been cracking down on dissent, though it’s unclear what sparked the detentions. The rebels have faced increasing casualties from U.S.-led airstrikes and economic strains from a civil war that has killed 150,000 people and caused a humanitarian disaster.