In an interview with the Daily Mail, a State Department spokesman called for the immediate release of at least 25 Yemeni staff at the US embassy in Sanaa, expressing concern over the Houthis backed by the Islamic regime of Iran hostage taking.
The State Department spokesman stressed that the United States’ diplomatic efforts would continue until the staff were released, noting that most of the staff had been released so far, but that the Houthis were still holding a number of others.
Washington Free Bacon had previously reported the hostage situation.
More than 20 Yemeni nationals have reportedly been abducted by Houthis in recent weeks, most of them linked to the US embassy, Washington Free Bacon added.
Following the announcement, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted that the incident was another “catastrophic failure” in terms of national security for Joe Biden, referring to efforts to lift the Houthi embargo, adding that the “terrorists” were now taking equipments, and our US embassy staff hostage.
Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted, “Thanks to Biden, the Islamic regime in Iran no longer fears America. We’ve stood by as they attacked US troops in Syria and take our workers hostage in Yemen. America is better than this.”
Mike Waltz, a Republican in the US House of Representatives, also tweeted: “Soon after becoming President, Biden removed the Iranian-backed Houthis from the terrorism list. Now they’ve attacked our Embassy in Yemen and taken hostages. Why? Because they know they can get away with it!”
