The Houthis expel American and British workers from Yemen

The Yemeni Houthis, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Yemen, demanded that American and British employees of non-commercial organizations leave the country within 30 days. The British news channel ITV News drew attention to the letter on behalf of the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed to the UN humanitarian mission in Yemen.

Also, the Houthis demand that foreign organizations working in Yemen, including UN missions, no longer employ citizens of the United States and Great Britain.

Houthi representative Mohammed Abdulsalam confirmed the authenticity of the document to Reuters.

This step of the armed group was taken after another series of shelling by the American and British armed forces of Houthi military facilities. The United States and Great Britain are conducting a joint operation to deter the Houthis, who are shelling international vessels in the Red Sea in the area of ​​the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

At the end of last year, “Al-Jazeera” reported that Houthi forces closed dozens of non-commercial organizations in the territory of Yemen under their control, which they consider to be connected with their political opponent – the Islah party. The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch also drew attention to this.

• The Houthi armed group controls a significant part of the territory of Yemen and is an important political force in the country. It is recognized as a terrorist by the elected authorities of Yemen, as well as by Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the UAE. After the start of shelling of commercial vessels in the Red Sea at the end of 2023, the United States also returned it to the list of foreign terrorist organizations, from which it was excluded in 2021.
• The Houthis began attacking sea routes in the Red Sea in October 2023. They said that in this way they demonstrate their support for the radical Palestinian group Hamas (recognized as terrorist in the USA and the EU) in its confrontation with Israel. The Houthis have promised to attack any vessel heading to or from Israel or somehow connected to it. However, ships that have no relation to Israel have repeatedly suffered from their shelling by missiles and underwater drones.