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UN ups number of staff detained by Yemen’s Houthis to 19

Houthi security personnel stand guard at the site of a rally by followers of the Houthi movement to commemorate the death of Imam Zaid, a central and revered figure for Zaidi Shiites, in Sanaa, Yemen July 20, 2025. (REUTERS)
Houthi security personnel stand guard at the site of a rally by followers of the Houthi movement to commemorate the death of Imam Zaid, a central and revered figure for Zaidi Shiites, in Sanaa, Yemen July 20, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Updated 03 September 2025
AP
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UN ups number of staff detained by Yemen’s Houthis to 19

UN ups number of staff detained by Yemen’s Houthis to 19
  • The Houthis have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they took control of Sanaa and most of northern Yemen
Updated 03 September 2025
AP
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UNITED NATIONS: At least 19 UN employees were detained by Iranian-backed Houthis during raids on UN offices in Yemen’s capital, the United Nations said Tuesday, a higher number than originally reported.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said 18 of those being held are Yemeni staffers and one is an international employee. He called for all to be released immediately.
Sunday’s raids on offices of the United Nations’ food, health and children’s agencies in Sanaa followed Israel’s killing of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi and several Cabinet ministers in an airstrike on Thursday.
The Houthis have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they took control of Sanaa and most of northern Yemen.
Hopes for peace talks vanished after the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which led to Israel’s retaliatory war in Hamas-run Gaza. The Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza. That sparked US and Israeli retaliatory strikes in areas the rebels control in Yemen.
The raids were the latest in a long-running Houthi crackdown on the UN and other international organizations as well as diplomats working in rebel-held areas. Dujarric said the Houthis previously had detained 23 UN employees, holding some since 2021.
UN special envoy Hans Grundberg just ended a visit to Oman’s capital, Muscat, where he met Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam and representatives of the diplomatic community, the UN spokesman said.
Dujarric said the envoy reiterated the UN’s strong condemnation of the detentions and forced entry into its offices, warning that the Houthi action seriously endangers the UN’s ability to deliver aid to the people of Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country.

 

Topics: Yemen Houthis UN

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Lebanon warns Israeli violations threaten stability as UN peacekeepers enter final phase of mission

Lebanon warns Israeli violations threaten stability as UN peacekeepers enter final phase of mission
Updated 11 November 2025
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Lebanon warns Israeli violations threaten stability as UN peacekeepers enter final phase of mission

Lebanon warns Israeli violations threaten stability as UN peacekeepers enter final phase of mission
  • UN envoy accuses Israel of jeopardizing ‘hard-won progress’ by undermining Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity through airstrikes and border violations
  • He says Lebanon’s army commander has presented to ministers his second progress report on a plan to extend state authority country-wide and limit weapons to state control
Updated 11 November 2025
Ephrem Kossaify

NEW YORK CITY: Lebanon has warned that Israeli airstrikes and border violations risk undermining progress toward achieving stability in southern Lebanon, as the UN peacekeeping mission in the country begins preparations for its withdrawal.

Speaking before the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, Lebanon’s permanent representative to the organization, Ahmad Arafa, welcomed the recent renewal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate under Security Council Resolution 2790. This authorized the extension of the force’s operations until Dec. 31, 2026, followed by an “orderly, safe and coordinated” drawdown within a year.

“The Lebanese Armed Forces have been working tirelessly to ensure full implementation of Resolution 1701,” Arafa said, referring to the 2006 resolution that ended the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah.

It calls for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, including Hezbollah. The US has consistently pressured Lebanese authorities to disarm the group, designating it a terrorist organization.

The November 2024 ceasefire deal with Israel also requires Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and establish a state monopoly on arms. The agreement states that only state security forces should bear arms, which is interpreted by Israel and others as requiring the full disarmament of Hezbollah. The group insists it applies only to southern Lebanon.

Arafa said the commander of the Lebanese army has presented to the Council of Ministers his second progress report on a plan to extend state authority throughout the country and confine possession of weapons to legitimate state institutions.

However, he accused Israel of jeopardizing the “hard-won progress” that has been made, through what he described as ongoing violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including airstrikes, the continued occupation of Lebanese territory, and the creation of “so-called buffer zones.”

UNIFIL spokesperson Dany Ghafri said last week that Israel had carried out more than 7,000 airspace violations since the cessation of hostilities in November last year, Arafa noted. UNIFIL has warned that the airstrikes breach Resolution 1701, “threaten the safety of civilians, and undermine progress toward a political and diplomatic solution,” he added

Lebanon also condemned Israeli attacks on UNIFIL personnel and positions, describing them as “a blatant violation of international law.”

Arafa expressed gratitude to the leadership of the UN force, and the countries that contribute troops, for their “dedication and sacrifice” since the mission was established in 1978. He called for the avoidance of any “security vacuum” during the upcoming transitional period, while maintaining stability and respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Lebanon Israel

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