Houthi Rebels Breached U.S. Embassy in Yemen, Took Hostages; U.S. Calls for Release of the Detained
A security member loyal to Yemen's Huthi movement lifts his firearm during a demonstration in front of the closed US Embassy in the capital Sanaa, on January 18, 2021, to reject the outgoing US administration's decision to designate the Huthis a "foreign terrorist organisation". - Impoverished Yemen is mired in a devastating conflict between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia that has left tens of thousands dead and sparked a dire humanitarian crisis. MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images

The United States government has called on Houthi rebels to release the hostages who worked for the U.S. embassy in Yemen after the group stormed inside the building.

The spokesperson said that most of the detainees had been released. However, the rebels continue to hold Yemeni employees of the embassy, according to an Aljazeera report.

The official said that they are concerned that the Yemeni staff of the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa continue to be detained without explanation, urging the Houthis to leave the compound immediately and return all seized property.

Houthi rebels reportedly took the building on Wednesday. They were demanding "large quantities of equipment and materials," according to a National Review report.

U.S. President Joe Biden removed the foreign-terrorist organization designation within a month of taking office that was placed on the Houthis by the Trump administration.

The terrorist designation had cut the Houthis off from financial support and other material resources from U.S. banks or other American institutions.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the decision an acknowledgment of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Biden also announced the cessation of all American support for offensive operations in the Yemeni war, including arms sales.

The United States had earlier supported the Yemeni government.

Crisis and War in Yemen

The crisis had occurred in late 2014 when the Houthis had seized large portions of the country, including its capital Sanaa. It then escalated when the group had tried to control the entire country, which forced the country's president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee the country in March 2015, according to a BBC News report.

The eight other mostly Sunni Arab states started an air campaign targeted at defeating the Houthi's reign.

The conflict was rooted in a failure of a political process to bring stability to Yemen. Its authoritarian president Ali Abdullah Saleh had handed over power to his deputy, Hadi.

Hadi had faced several problems, such as unemployment and food insecurity, which were taken advantage of by the Houthi movement.

The Houthis went on the offensive in Marib this year, which is the government's last stronghold in the north.

Marib is also the capital of an oil-rich province.

The United Nations called for a ceasefire, issuing a warning that an all-out battle for the provincial capital could put two million civilians at risk and cause huge displacement.

The Houthis went on with their missile and drone attacks in Saudi Arabia, which often affect civilian infrastructure.

Saudi and U.S. officials have accused Iran of smuggling parts for the weapons, including arms like rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

However, Iran has denied the allegations against them.

The United Nations noted that the U.S. closed its Yemen embassy in 2015 amid a violent civil war that has since caused the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world, according to a Fox News report.

However, some Yemeni staff continued to work from home or as security guards at the embassy.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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