Megan Udinski, FISM News
Houthi rebels kidnapped at least 25 Yemeni nationals associated with the U.S. embassy in Sana’a and days later raided the U.S. compound procuring equipment and other materials according to reports out of Yemen.
Yemen, located on the Arabian peninsula of Asia, has been in a 7-year civil war between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi supported government. In 2015, the U.S. suspended their diplomacy mission in Yemen responding to the bloody war, instead relocating staff and ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally in the region.
While it is unclear how many hostages were taken, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported, “The alleged raid comes after the Houthis kidnapped three Yemeni nationals affiliated with the U.S. Embassy from one of the employee’s private residences in Sana’a on November 5.” MEMRI also reported that the Houthis have kidnapped at least 22 others “most of whom worked on the security staff guarding the embassy grounds.”
In a press conference on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price, commented that the administration is “extremely concerned by reports of detentions of some of our local Yemeni employees in Sana’a, and we call for their immediate release.”
Although he could not comment on how many hostages have been taken, he did tell reporters that the “majority” of kidnapped individuals have been released. He says the administration has “been unceasing in our behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to secure their release.”
When Donald Trump was in office he had the Houthi group declared a terrorist organization. This move was met with resistance by those on the left, fearing it would exacerbate the humanitarian problem already suppressing the country. Once Biden became president, his administration quickly took to reversing this decision, removing the Houthis from the terrorist list. He then removed U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition, instead appointing Timothy Lenderking as a special diplomatic envoy to Yemen.
Lenderking recently traveled to the Middle East on November 4 in an attempt to convince the Houthis “to stop their offensive on Marib and repeated attacks against civilian areas, which are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.”
In light of the attacks by the militant rebel group, several conservatives have expressed frustration for how the Biden administration is handling foreign affairs.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) cited past terrorist attacks in a tweet, associating them with Democrats holding the office of president.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have stormed the US Embassy in Yemen and taken hostages.
Tehran in 1979, Benghazi in 2012, Kabul and now Sanaa in 2021. It’s almost like our enemies sense weakness when certain people hold office. https://t.co/K5g8J0dTf1
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) November 12, 2021
While the Houthis have not given a list of demands or a reason why they have captured hostages or raided the embassy, FISM will be praying are that those who have been detained would be freed.