Yemen’s Houthis accuse US, Israel of espionage under humanitarian guise

Mohammad Al-Houthi, a member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, has accused the US and Israel of using humanitarian aid as a cover for espionage activities in the country. His comments came after a US statement regarding the dismantling of a US-Israeli espionage network, which he claims exposes US’s weakness and moral bankruptcy.

On 10 June, the Yemeni Security Forces uncovered a large espionage network operated by US and Israeli intelligence agencies which has reportedly been active within various institutions in Yemen since 2015.

The senior official in the Sanaa-based government emphasised that the US and its allies would not tolerate similar espionage activities within their own borders. He pointed out that statements from US and UN officials corroborate Yemeni security revelations about the misuse of humanitarian operations for espionage.

READ: Houthis publish ‘confessions’ of US, Israel spy network

“We have no position against UN organization employees, but we condemn the US for employing its spies under the guise of humanitarian and diplomatic work,” Al-Houthi said.

“We are ready to hand over the evidence and documents to a third party that rejects the violation of countries’ sovereignty with such espionage acts, and the US statements in this regard are a denial of evident facts, like denying the sun in broad daylight,” he added.

He also reiterated Sanaa’s call for international intervention, inviting China and Russia to present the issue to the Security Council.

The UN, condemning the detention of its staff, demanded their immediate release. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and 40 countries urged the Houthis to release detained UN employees unconditionally. Al-Houthi defended the detentions, accusing the UN of not properly vetting its personnel and demanding explanations for their actions.

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