A group of Iran-backed terrorists stormed the U.S. embassy facility in Sana’a, Yemen, kidnapping several people and holding them as hostages.
The incident happened on November 10th, and U.S. officials are still in the process of trying to secure the release of the hostages.
The Houthi rebels allegedly entered the embassy in search of “large quantities of equipment and materials,” according to regional reports translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Just five days before the storming of the embassy, it was reported that the Houthis had kidnapped several Yemeni nationals who work for the U.S. embassy.
“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,” according to the MEMRI.
At least 22 other Yemenis were kidnapped by the Houthis in the past few weeks, “most of whom worked on the security staff guarding the embassy grounds,” the MEMRI reports.
The U.S. State Department has confirmed that the Yemeni staffers are being “detained” by the terrorists, and that property was stolen from the embassy after it was breached. The U.S. had suspended operations in the embassy in Yemen in 2015, so it has been reported that no Americans were on the premises when the hostages were taken.
“The United States has been unceasing in its diplomatic efforts to secure their release,” a State Department spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon. “The majority of the detained have been released, but the Houthis continue to detain additional Yemeni employees of the embassy.”
The individuals that are still being held are “detained without explanation and we call for their immediate release,” the State Department spokesman said.
The department is also “concerned about the breach of the compound” and is calling “on the Houthis to immediately vacate it and return all seized property.”
According to the State Department, the Biden administration “will continue its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of our staff and the vacating of our compound, including through our international partners.”
