Houthis ask British and US aid workers to leave Yemen after second round of joint airstrikes
British and US aid workers have been asked to leave Yemen by Houthi authorities in the country, a letter seen by Sky News shows.
In the letter to the country’s United Nations coordinator, the Houthi-controlled foreign affairs ministry requests aid workers with US and British citizenship to leave within 30 days.
It follows the second set of joint UK and US airstrikes against Houthi forces, aimed at stopping raids on shipping in the Red Sea.
Middle East latest:
Houthis warn UK and US to ‘expect response’
The letter also calls on aid agencies not to recruit any workers with dual nationalities from the UK and US in the next 30 days.
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
The full letter reads: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen extends its best regards to the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sanaa, and through them to all offices of humanitarian organisations working in the Republic of Yemen.
“The ministry would like to emphasise the necessity of informing all officials and workers who hold American and British citizenship of their preparation to leave the country within a maximum period of 30 days from the date of this determination so they will be ready to leave immediately upon the expiration of the period referred to, and the ministry will be sure to inform you via a ministerial letter 24 hours before departure.
“The ministry also calls upon [the humanitarian organisations] not to recruit any employees with dual nationalities from those countries mentioned above during this period.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen takes this opportunity to express appreciation and respect to the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator.”
Read more:
Houthis have laid a trap and the UK has flown right in – analysis
Why have the UK and US launched more strikes on Yemen?
The UK and US have been carrying out the strikes in retaliation for Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said last night that the second round of strikes was a “success”.
In a post on X, Mr Shapps posted: “I want to thank all members of the Armed Forces involved in last night’s operations against Houthi targets.
“Their dedication, professionalism and skill made the operation a success, degrading the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners,” he said.
Last night’s strikes targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities, a joint statement from the UK, US, Bahrain, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Who are the Houthis?
The Ministry of Defence said four RAF Typhoons, supported by a pair of Voyager tankers, “joined US forces in a deliberate strike against Houthi sites in Yemen”.
It added that Paveway IV precision-guided bombs were used to strike “multiple targets at two military sites in the vicinity of Sanaa airfield”.
The MoD continued: “These locations were being used to enable the continued intolerable attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea.”
It said a “very rigorous analysis” was used to minimise any risk of civilian casualties, which included the decision to attack at night.
The Houthis support Hamas and have been attacking ships they claim are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. However, several of the group’s attacks have been on vessels from other countries.
Watch our new foreign affairs show, The World with Yalda Hakim, from Monday to Thursday between 9pm and 10pm on Sky News.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
Read more:
Who is in Trump’s top team?
Trump’s cabinet signals tough stance on China
Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports7 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway