According to reports, the State Department is seeking to obtain the release of multiple hostages who were apparently abducted and being held by Iran-backed terrorists after the militant group attacked the U.S. embassy facility in Sana’a, Yemen.

Regional reports that were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) noted that on November 10th, a band of Houthi rebels had raided the U.S. embassy facility in an effort to obtain “large quantities of equipment and materials.”

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Said storming of the facility occurred five days after the Houthis had kidnapped Yemeni nationals who work for the U.S. embassy, according to the translated report from MEMRI. “The alleged raid comes after the Houthis kidnapped three Yemeni nationals affiliated with the U.S. Embassy from one of the employee’s private residences in Sana’a on November 5,” the report said.

In addition to the previously mentioned three Yemini nationals kidnapped, at least 22 other Yemenis have been abducted in recent weeks by the Houthis, which said abductees also “worked on the security staff guarding the embassy grounds.”

The State Department confirmed in a statement to the Washington Free Beacon that the Yemeni personnel are being held against their will without any sort of explanation and that Iran-backed militants stole property after breaking into the U.S. facility in Sana’a, which housed U.S. embassy staff in time leading up to the suspension of operations in 2015.

“The United States has been unceasing in its diplomatic efforts to secure their release,” the State Department said. “The majority of the detained have been released, but the Houthis continue to detain additional Yemeni employees of the embassy.”

A former embassy staffer, an economic officer, and a U.S. Agency for International Development employee are among those abducted and detained by the Houthis. The State Department noted in their statement that they’re “concerned about the breach of the compound” and are calling for the Houthis involved to “immediately vacate it and return all seized property.”

The hostage crisis is expected to exacerbate tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which said country also supplies weapons and finances to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis were previously designated as a terrorist group by the Trump administration, but that designation was revoked this past February after President Biden took office.

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This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on November 11, 2021. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.

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