Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, strongly denounced the detentions and the forced entry into UN premises, labeling them a grave breach, CNN noted. He called for the immediate release of the detained staff. UN Secretary-General António Guterres reinforced this stance, declaring, "The personnel of the UN and its partners must never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their duties for the UN," as quoted by CNN. Guterres pointed out that the Houthis have arbitrarily detained UN personnel, NGO workers, and others since 2021, highlighting a recurring pattern of hostility, CNN reported.

The World Food Programme and UNICEF are urgently engaging with local authorities to secure their staff's release, with spokespersons emphasizing that their top priority is the safety of their employees, CNN stated. While it remains uncertain whether the raids were directly linked to Israel's recent strikes, the Houthis have previously targeted international organizations, according to CNN. Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister of the UN-backed Yemeni government, condemned the Houthi actions, as reported by SABA NEWS.

On Thursday, an Israeli airstrike in Sanaa eliminated Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the Houthi-led government, along with other key officials, the head of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council confirmed, promising vengeance, CNN reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the strike marked "only the beginning" of Israel's campaign against the Houthis, who have launched missiles at Israel and attacked Red Sea vessels in solidarity with Gaza, CNN noted. He stated, "We are doing what no one has done before us, and this is only the beginning of the strikes on senior officials in Sanaa - we will get to all of them," CNN quoted him as saying.

Yemen has been divided since 2014, with the Houthis controlling Sanaa and much of the north, while a rival, internationally recognized government operates in the south. The Houthi raids on UN facilities underscore their defiance amid ongoing clashes with Israel and their broader regional objectives, CNN reported.

The post Houthi rebels seize UN offices in Sanaa after Israel's deadly strike on leadership appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Aid efforts to get to the remote site of Saturday's deadly earthquake in Haiti are ongoing but are being hampered by a tropical storm that brought heavy rains to the region.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Among agencies providing assistance is the Israel nongovernmental IsraAID, which also provided help to the island nation following a 2010 earthquake and 2016 hurricane.

IsraAID spokesperson Ethan Schwartz told Jewish News Syndicate that two international team members, including the group's emergency coordinator for Haiti, were expected to land in Haiti on Tuesday and "will connect with our in-country team of Haitian former IsraAID staff members and partners, who are currently being mobilized to support this emergency response."

"Our initial priorities will be distributing urgently needed relief items and personal protective equipment, safe water provision, and providing psychosocial and mental health support to affected communities in the midst of this disaster," he continued.

As many as 2,000 people have been confirmed dead in the wake of the August 14 quake, which registered a magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale, with some 7,000 more injured and homeless. Additionally, authorities are saying that nearly 85,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed, along with public infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and bridges.

Adding to the misery was the arrival on Monday of Tropical Storm Grace, which dumped at least five inches of rain on the island.

"Last night, I saw strong winds and heavy rainfall strike the same areas already affected by the earthquake," UNICEF's representative in Haiti Bruno Maes said in a press release on Tuesday. "Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

He added that "right now, about half a million Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe water, health care and nutrition."

Schwartz noted that the storm "compounds the existing emergency situation for communities affected by the earthquake, and, of course, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, our team is preparing to respond to these multiple concurrent emergencies when they arrive in the affected area."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post IsraAID to assist in Haiti after earthquake, flood waters appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The United Nations warned on Friday that more than four million people in Lebanon, including one million refugees, risked losing access to safe water as shortages of funding, fuel and supplies affect water pumping.

"UNICEF estimates that most water pumping will gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks," a statement by the UN body said.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Lebanon is battling an economic meltdown that has propelled more than half of its population into poverty and seen its currency lose over 90% of its value in less than two years.

UNICEF said that should the public water supply system collapse, water costs could jump by 200% a month as water would be secured from private water suppliers.

The post UNICEF: Over 71% of Lebanon's population risks losing access to safe water appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.