On Saturday, October 18, 2025, the simmering tensions in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, took a dramatic turn as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels stormed a United Nations facility. Despite the alarming incursion, all 15 international U.N. staff members present at the time were reported safe, a rare bit of good news in a country long beset by conflict and humanitarian crises.
Jean Alam, spokesman for the U.N. resident coordinator for Yemen, confirmed to the Associated Press that Houthi security forces entered the compound. “According to latest information all staff in the compound are safe and accounted for and have contacted their families,” Alam said, offering reassurance amid the day’s uncertainty. The building, according to another U.N. official who spoke on condition of anonymity, houses employees from several U.N. agencies, including the World Food Program, UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This latest raid is not an isolated incident. On August 31, 2025, the Houthis also stormed U.N. offices in Sanaa, detaining 19 employees. While the deputy director of the UNICEF office was later released, more than 50 people—including aid workers, civil society members, and staff from the now-closed U.S. Embassy in Sanaa—remain in Houthi custody. These detentions have cast a long shadow over the already fragile relationship between the U.N. and the de facto authorities in northern Yemen.
The United Nations has responded to these repeated crackdowns with a mix of caution and condemnation. “The United Nations is taking all necessary measures and is in contact with the relevant authorities and counterparts to ensure the safety and security of all personnel and property,” Alam emphasized. The U.N. was forced to suspend its operations in the Houthi stronghold of Saada province after the detention of eight staffers in January 2025. This prompted the relocation of the U.N.’s top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen from Sanaa to the coastal city of Aden, which serves as the seat of the internationally recognized government.
The backdrop to these events is Yemen’s protracted civil war, which erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. The following year, a Saudi-led coalition—joined by the United Arab Emirates—intervened in a bid to restore the government. The conflict has since devolved into a stalemate, punctuated by sporadic violence and shifting alliances. In recent years, the rebels reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia: the Houthis would halt attacks on the kingdom in exchange for a cessation of Saudi-led airstrikes on Houthi-held territories.
The U.N.’s mission in Yemen, already fraught with logistical and security challenges, has been further complicated by the Houthis’ suspicions and public accusations. On October 16, 2025, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi gave a televised speech in which he claimed the detention of “one of the most dangerous espionage cells” allegedly affiliated with humanitarian organizations, notably the World Food Program and UNICEF. He offered no evidence to support these allegations. Such claims have been fiercely denied by the United Nations and other international actors.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded forcefully to the accusations. According to a statement from his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, “The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the continued public accusations made by the Houthis, including on 16 October by their leadership, against United Nations personnel in Yemen. He categorically rejects all such accusations.” Dujarric added, “Accusations such as these are dangerous and unacceptable. They seriously jeopardize the safety of U.N. personnel and humanitarian workers and undermine life-saving operations.”
The Houthis, for their part, have not publicly commented on the specifics of the latest raid or the ongoing detentions, despite repeated attempts by journalists to reach their spokespeople. Their allegations of espionage against U.N. staff and other aid workers have been met with skepticism both within Yemen and abroad. The world body has repeatedly underscored that its staff are there to facilitate humanitarian relief, not to engage in intelligence gathering.
Saturday’s events are the latest flashpoint in a long-running crackdown by the Houthi authorities against international organizations operating in rebel-held areas. The impact on humanitarian operations has been profound. The U.N. has had to curtail its presence in parts of northern Yemen, while aid groups have struggled to reach vulnerable populations. The detentions, coupled with public accusations and raids, have created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among both foreign and local staff.
According to The Times of Israel, the employees housed in the raided Sanaa facility belong to a range of U.N. agencies, each playing a vital role in delivering food, medical care, and support to millions of Yemenis affected by the war. The World Food Program, for instance, is a lifeline for families facing acute hunger, while UNICEF’s work with children and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ logistical support are both critical in a country where basic services have collapsed.
Yemen’s civil war, now in its second decade, has left the country in ruins. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and pushed the nation to the brink of famine. The U.N. and its partners have repeatedly warned that without unfettered access and the ability to operate safely, the humanitarian catastrophe will only deepen.
The Houthis’ suspicion of international organizations is not new, but the recent escalation has alarmed observers. The war’s stalemate on the battlefield has been mirrored by a hardening of attitudes off it. Aid workers, already risking their lives in one of the world’s most dangerous environments, now face the added threat of detention and public vilification.
Despite these challenges, the United Nations says it remains committed to its mission in Yemen. “We stand in solidarity with U.N. personnel in Yemen and the world over,” Secretary-General Guterres’s statement concluded, underscoring the organization’s resolve in the face of adversity.
As the dust settles from the latest raid, the fate of the more than 50 detainees remains uncertain. Families wait anxiously for news, while colleagues continue their work under the constant threat of further crackdowns. The events in Sanaa are a stark reminder of the perils facing those who seek to bring relief to Yemen’s beleaguered population—and of the urgent need for all parties to respect the neutrality and safety of humanitarian workers.