CAIRO (AP) — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels detained two dozen U.N. employees Sunday, a day after they raided another U.N. facility in the capital Sanaa, a U.N. official said.
Jean Alam, a spokesman for the U.N. resident coordinator for Yemen, told The Associated Press that the U.N. staffers were detained inside the facility in Sanaa’s southwestern neighborhood of Hada.
He said those detained Sunday include five Yemenis and 15 international staff. He said the rebels released another 11 U.N. staffers after questioning.
He said the U.N. was contact with the Houthis and other parties to “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa.”
A second U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the raid, said the rebels confiscated all communications equipment from the facility, including phones, servers and computers.
The official said the detained employees belong to multiple U.N. agencies including the World Food Program, UNICEF and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Houthis have launched a long-running crackdown against the U.N. and other international organizations working in rebel-held areas in Yemen including Sanaa, the coastal city of Hodeida and the rebel stronghold in Sadaa province in northern Yemen.
Dozens of people, including over 50 U.N. staffers, have been detained so far. A World Food Program worker died in detention earlier this year in Sadaa.
The rebels have repeatedly alleged without evidence that the detained U.N. staffers and those working with other international groups and foreign embassies were spies. The U.N. fiercely denied the accusations.
The crackdown forced the U.N. to suspend its operations in Saada province in northern Yemen following the detention of eight staffers in January. The U.N. also relocated its top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen from Sanaa to the coastal city of Aden, which serves as seat for the internationally recognized government.
Houthi supporters dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nick Gonzales led off the 12th inning with an RBI single and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their three-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night.
Esmerlyn Valdez homered and Rafael Flores Jr. had an RBI double in the sixth for the Pirates, who rebounded from getting swept at Dodger Stadium last weekend with just their 11th win in 31 games.
Jake Cronenworth tied it in the eighth with a two-out RBI single for the Padres, whose three-game winning streak ended with only their eighth loss in 29 games. San Diego’s eight-game home winning streak also ended.
San Diego loaded the bases with one out in the 11th, but Kirby Yates (2-5) struck out Jackson Merrill and got Xander Bogaerts to line out. Merrill went 0 for 5 on his bobblehead night, striking out on three pitches with the bases loaded in both the eighth and 11th, and also failed to make a diving catch on Flores' RBI double.
After Jared Triolo scored on Gonzales’ single off Jeremiah Estrada (2-3), Yohan Ramirez struck out the side in the 12th to earn his second save.
Braxton Ashcraft pitched six strong innings of four-hit ball for Pittsburgh. He has allowed just three runs over 23 innings in his last three starts.
Robbie Ray dueled Ashcraft through five scoreless innings before Valdez led off the sixth with a 414-foot shot to center field. Ray allowed five hits and struck out five in his fourth start for the Padres.
Freddy Fermin doubled later in the sixth and eventually scored on Ashcraft's balk.
Padres closer Mason Miller allowed two baserunners and barely escaped a ninth-inning jam while facing his hometown team on his 28th birthday.
Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.95 ERA) returns from another rocky outing on normal rest for the Pirates on Tuesday. Michael King (8-9, 3.38 ERA) makes his team-leading 27th start for the Padres.
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San Diego Padres' Robbie Ray winds up against a Pittsburgh Pirates batter in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres' Freddy Fermin gestures towards the dugout after hitting a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft works against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez (55) is congratulated by Oneil Cruz, center right, after hitting a solo home run against the San Diego Padres in the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
