The United States has strongly condemned the Houthis for detaining current and former local staff members of its embassy in Yemen, calling the actions 'unlawful' and demanding their immediate release. The United Nations has also criticized the Houthis for holding its personnel incommunicado without due process, urging the group to rescind recent referrals to their special criminal court. The Houthis have accused some detainees of espionage and collaboration with Israel, but these allegations remain unproven. In November, a Houthi-run court sentenced 18 Yemeni aid workers from United Nations agencies to death on charges of spying, further escalating international concerns over the group's treatment of humanitarian and diplomatic staff.