SANAA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group has ordered UN workers from the United States and Britain to leave the areas under its control in a month, a UN official told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis told UN agencies that their American and British staff were unwelcome and should not return to the Houthi-held territory.
According to local media, there are more than 20 American and British nationals working for the UN in the Houthi-controlled areas.
The request came amid rising tensions between the U.S. and British forces stationed in the Red Sea and Houthis, who have been attacking "Israeli-linked ships" in the region since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
The U.S.-Britain maritime coalition in the Red Sea has carried out several airstrikes on Houthi camps in various northern provinces of Yemen. It said these actions are aimed at preventing further Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea shipping lane.
The Houthi group vowed to continue targeting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel ends its attacks and blockade on the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory.
Last week, the U.S. redesignated the Houthi group as a "terrorist organization" and said the move would not affect food and medicine supplies to northern Yemen. ■
