Yemen’s Houthi -run government will put dozens of detained United Nations staff on trial, alleging that they have spied for Israel or had links to an Israeli air strike that killed the prime minister, according to officials.

Abdulwahid Abu Ras, Yemen’s acting foreign minister, told the Reuters news agency on Friday that a cell within the UN’s World Food Programme was involved in directly targeting the government.

The Houthi prime minister and nine other ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa in August, the first such attack to kill senior officials.

The UN, which has repeatedly rejected Houthi accusations, said on Friday that a total of 36 UN employees were arrested after Israel’s attack. It says that at least 59 UN personnel are being held by the group.

Abu

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