Houthis say they arrested US-Israeli spy network in Yemen

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – Yemen’s Houthi group said Monday it arrested a spy cell working for the US and Israel amid tensions in the Red Sea over a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The group said the alleged US-Israeli network was equipped with espionage equipment and was working under the cover of humanitarian organizations and UN agencies.

It, however, did not provide any details about the nationalities of the alleged cell members.

The announcement came one day after the UN said that 11 employees were arrested by the Houthi group on Sunday, calling for their immediate release.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where more than 37,100 people have been killed in a deadly Israeli offensive since last October following a Hamas attack.

With tensions escalating due to US-UK airstrikes against Houthi sites in Yemen, the group declared it considers all American and British ships to be legitimate military targets.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar