CAIRO – On Sunday, Houthi rebels with ties to Iran detained approximately 24 United Nations employees, following a raid on another U.N. facility in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, a U.N. representative reported.

Jean Alam, the spokesperson for the U.N.’s resident coordinator in Yemen, informed The Associated Press that the detained staff were inside a U.N. facility located in the southwestern Hada district of Sanaa.

Among those held were five Yemeni nationals and 15 international employees. Alam also noted that the rebels released 11 other U.N. staff members after questioning them.

The U.N. is actively engaging with the Houthis and other involved parties to resolve the issue promptly. The aim is to secure the release of all detained personnel and re-establish full control over its Sanaa facilities, according to Alam.

Another U.N. official, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that during the raid, the rebels seized all communication equipment, including phones, servers, and computers, from the facility.

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.