The US Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, has demanded the immediate release of detained international organization staff, including those from the US embassy in Sana'a, currently held by the Houthi group. The demand came on Thursday, June 13th, 2024.

According to Reuters, the Iran-backed Houthis detained 11 UN staff members in Yemen last week, as confirmed by UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

The US ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, condemned the detentions as "shocking." In a statement, Fagin said, "The Houthis owe all of these Yemenis gratitude, not false accusations and imprisonment." He added that the people of Yemen deserve better than the Houthis' "fabricated lies aimed at bolstering their arbitrary authoritarian rule."

Reuters reported that the detainees, all Yemenis, were apprehended by armed Houthi intelligence officials in a series of operations. These operations also resulted in the arrest of three staff members from the US-funded pro-democracy National Democratic Institute (NDI) and three employees of a local human rights group.

The Houthis have reportedly detained approximately 20 Yemeni embassy staff members in Sana'a over the past three years.

On Monday, June 10th, the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization, announced what it claimed were confessions from a supposed "US-Israeli spy cell" comprising former US embassy staff in Yemen, according to a televised statement by Abdul Hakim al-Khaiwani, head of Houthi intelligence.

Al-Khaiwani alleged that the "US-Israeli spy cell" had engaged in espionage and sabotage against official and unofficial institutions for decades, acting on behalf of "the enemy."

The US embassy suspended its operations in Yemen in 2014 following the Houthi takeover of the capital Sana'a. The US mission in Yemen is currently based in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Since last November, the Houthi group has been launching missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, leading to increased maritime insurance costs and prompting many shipping companies to opt for the much longer route around the southern tip of the African continent.

In December 2023, the United States, Israel's primary ally, formed a multinational coalition to protect maritime navigation from attacks by the designated terrorist group. Meanwhile, US forces have periodically conducted strikes against Houthi military targets.