Yemen’s Houthi forces breach U.S. Embassy compound

Middle East
Yemen’s Houthi forces breach U.S. Embassy compound, detain local employees

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, suspended operations in 2015, and the American ambassador was relocated to Saudi Arabia. (Mohammed 

CAIRO — Yemeni security employees of the U.S. government have been detained in Sanaa, Yemen, after the compound that once housed the American Embassy was breached by Iran-backed Houthi forces, the State Department said.

For years, the Houthis have controlled Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, and much of the country’s north. The U.S. diplomatic mission suspended operations there in 2015, near the start of the country’s civil war between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis, who receive support from Iran. The American ambassador and key staff were relocated to Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. ally in the region.