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Houthis Say 43 Detained UN Staff to Face Trial over Israeli Attack

Houthi supporters dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Houthi supporters dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
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Houthis Say 43 Detained UN Staff to Face Trial over Israeli Attack

Houthi supporters dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Houthi supporters dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Forty-three detained local United Nations staff will face trial on suspicion of links to an Israeli airstrike that assassinated top Houthi leaders in August, the acting foreign minister of Yemen’s Houthi government, Abdulwahid Abu Ras, told Reuters.

In August, the prime minister of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi-run government and several other ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa, in the first such attack to kill senior officials, Reuters said.

The United Nations has repeatedly rejected Houthi accusations that UN staff or UN operations in Yemen were involved.

"The steps taken by the security agencies were carried out under full judicial supervision. The public prosecution was kept informed step by step with every action taken," Abu Ras said in an interview with Reuters.

'PROCESS MOVING TOWARD ITS CONCLUSION'

"Therefore, as long as the prosecution is informed, it is certain that this process is moving toward its conclusion, leading to trials and the issuance of judicial rulings," he said.

Abu Ras said that cell within the World Food Program was clearly involved in directly targeting the government.

There was no immediate comment from a World Food Program spokesperson. The United Nations has repeatedly rejected accusations staff were involved in spying.

At least 59 UN personnel are being held by Houthis, according to the United Nations, which has condemned what it calls arbitrary detentions and called for the immediate release of its personnel and other detainees.

The defendants are Yemenis. According to Yemeni law they could face the death penalty.

'INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT' FOR UN TO PROVIDE AID The latest detentions came after Houthi security forces entered several United Nations offices in Sanaa on Sunday.

The UN has accused Houthis of taking steps that have made it increasingly difficult for the agency to provide assistance to those in need in Yemen.

The acting foreign minister said the government is supporting other humanitarian organizations.

"We have clarified in a clear and explicit statement from the Foreign Ministry that we will support and assist organizations committed to the principles of humanitarian work, facilitating their activities and work," he said.

The Houthis have controlled large swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since seizing power in 2014 and early 2015.

After the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, the Houthis attacked global shipping lanes to show their solidarity with the Palestinian group. The group frequently fired missiles towards Israel, most of which were intercepted.

Israel unleashed a wide-ranging military campaign against Iran's allies after it was attacked by Hamas in 2023, including the Houthis.

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Arab World

Why Does Trump Favor Iraq’s Al-Zaidi?

New Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, uses a phone at his office in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters).
New Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, uses a phone at his office in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters).
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Why Does Trump Favor Iraq’s Al-Zaidi?

New Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, uses a phone at his office in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters).
New Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, uses a phone at his office in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters).

Iraq’s ruling Coordination Framework has been on an intriguing journey that started with the United States’ adamant rejection of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki being appointed to head a new government and that ended with President Donald Trump personally congratulating Ali al-Zaidi on his appointment as PM-designate earlier this week.

On January 27, Trump threatened to cut US support to Iraq if Maliki returned to power. After 93 days, the Shiite forces in Iraq were surprised when Trump congratulated al-Zaidi and urged him to form a government that is free of “terrorism”. He even received an invitation to visit Washington.

Iran has yet to comment on any of these developments.

Trump’s envoy to Syria Tom Barrack had telephoned al-Zaidi on Tuesday ahead of Trump’s telephone call to the PM-designate, a banker who, with Shiite consensus, has become the face of a potential and still ambiguous American deal.

Normally, pro-Iran factions in Iraq don’t let such friendly American contacts go without a fierce wave of criticism against any attempt to normalize ties with Washington, the perceived great enemy. That did not happen.

On the contrary, the hawks of the so-called “Resistance Axis” are preoccupied with giving the new PM-designate advice over including “strong” figures in his cabinet lineup to ensure its success. They have already sent him numerous possible candidates.

Al-Zaidi was named to his post just two hours after his name was floated in the media. His name appeared out of nowhere just days after commander of Iran’s Quds Force Esmail Qaani visited Baghdad. It remains to be seen if Qaani had imposed his conditions or surrendered to a deal that is beyond Iran’s control.

Al-Zaidi's designation took place as Iraq finds itself caught between the US-Iran conflict with each country trying to impose its influence over Baghdad. The appointment could have been a victory of one party against the other.

The American veto over Maliki had limited the Coordination Framework’s options and forced it into a battle of wills with Washington. With the eruption of the conflict with Iran, al-Zaidi's name was floated as a possible candidate and way out. An evident deal was reached that led to his designation and it continues to raise questions.

Observers believe that the appointment is the beginning of a broader deal that may have intrigued Trump.

Sources said that al-Zaidi did not appear out of nowhere in the Framework and that he was actually always there as a “winning card” that can be used by influential parties.

Other sources said that al-Zaidi now faces two possibilities: His proposed cabinet lineup will fail to receive the parliament’s vote of confidence, giving the Framework room to catch its breath in the political impasse and line up other options.

This is viewed as a scenario that outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani could come up with.

The second possibility would be for the lineup to win the vote of confidence and for al-Zaidi to lead a transitional phase of two years or less. Observers have suggested that early elections could be held during this period. This scenario favors influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

There also lies a third possibility that al-Zaidi was indeed designated through an American deal amid rumors that the US is seeking to limit China’s influence in the region.

The way Trump congratulated al-Zaidi suggests that Washington may have won something major in return from Baghdad. Or it could mean that Iran’s influence in Iraq had gotten so weak that it allowed major players in Baghdad to seize the reins and do what was necessary, including appointing al-Zaidi, to avoid US economic sanctions that would only further isolate Iraq and Iran.

Arab World

Hamas, Israel Exchange Views over Latest Gaza Roadmap

A displaced Palestinian child play inside a car destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
A displaced Palestinian child play inside a car destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Hamas, Israel Exchange Views over Latest Gaza Roadmap

A displaced Palestinian child play inside a car destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
A displaced Palestinian child play inside a car destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 1, 2026. (AFP)

Contacts and meetings between the Hamas movement, other Palestinian factions, head of the Board of Peace Nickolay Mladenov and mediators are ongoing in Cairo to reach a ceasefire agreement following the factions’ positive response to the latest proposal.

Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Palestinian delegation informed the mediators and Mladenov that the latest proposal will be composed of 15 articles and can be the launching point for negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire.

Two Hamas sources said the movement, with the backing of the factions, stressed the need to complete the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire in full. This includes allowing the entry of the national committee for the management of Gaza into the enclave without delay so that it can assume its duties.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the mediators and Mladenov have been handed a five-point document in response to their proposal. It calls for completing the first phase and obligating Israel to implement it in full. It also says that the factions are in agreement over the roadmap and are serious about engaging in serious negotiations over it, including the best way to implement US President Donald Trump’s main plan for Gaza.

The document also says that the issue of the weapons of factions should be tied to a comprehensive Palestinian political path and that it would be decided as part of a broader national framework seeing as it is not limited to Hamas alone.

The two sources and a third from the factions said the negotiating team asked the mediators and Mladenov for Israel’s response to the latest proposal before kicking off any negotiations over it.

Mladenov has submitted amendments to the proposal to the factions that they will study.

All the sources said that Israel’s response to the mediators’ latest proposal was negative as it clearly refuses to offer any guarantees that it would fully commit to implementing all the articles of the first phase of the ceasefire, especially those related to it ceasing its ongoing violations and withdrawing from the “Yellow Line” in Gaza.

A Palestinian source revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Mladenov had asked Israel on Tuesday to suspend its air raids on Gaza for 48 hours to allow the success of the Cairo talks. He did not receive a response in return, but Israel did noticeably ease its attacks on the enclave.

Israel has also allowed more trucks with humanitarian aid into Gaza in the past three days, but they are not enough to meet demand.

The sources said the Cairo talks will continue even though they were supposed to end on Friday.

One of the sources said that it appears the US is starting to pressure Israel to make progress in the negotiations, but they have yielded few results so far.

An informed Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that a senior American official from envoy Jared Kushner’s team had taken part in a meeting between Hamas and Mladenov.

The source said that Kushner himself will work on obligating Israel to implement the first phase of the ceasefire in full.

Arab World

Seasonal Rainfall Deepens Yemenis’ Humanitarian Plight

Relief agencies said 200,000 people have been affected by the rainfall. (Local media)
Relief agencies said 200,000 people have been affected by the rainfall. (Local media)
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Seasonal Rainfall Deepens Yemenis’ Humanitarian Plight

Relief agencies said 200,000 people have been affected by the rainfall. (Local media)
Relief agencies said 200,000 people have been affected by the rainfall. (Local media)

Yemen is reeling from floods caused by seasonal rainfall that have swept vast swathes of the country in recent weeks, claiming dozens of lives and causing major damage in infrastructure.

Relief agencies said 200,000 people have been affected by the rainfall in April, with the number expected to rise as more rain is predicted.

Local and international assessments have said that southwestern regions of Yemen have since March witnessed heavy rain and flooding that have caused death, displacement and widespread damage in public and private property. The Mokha, Mawza, and al-Waziyah districts in Taiz and the al-Khokha and Hays districts in the Hodeidah province have been the most affected.

Several humanitarian sources said the floods have so far killed at least 24 people and affected 55,000 along the western coast regions held by the legitimate government.

Field assessments continue to determine the extent of the damage to homes, roads, water infrastructure and agricultural fields.

The number of affected people is expected to rise to some 220,000 if the rain continues, especially given the poor infrastructure and weak water drainage systems. The seasonal rainfall and ensuing floods are a recurring problem in Yemen given the weak infrastructure.

Authorities have dedicated around USD205,000 through an emergency response fund to tackle the crisis, support emergency relief operations and provide shelter to those affected.