The principles of Houthi her Yemeni they ordered Americans and Britons nationals working in Organisations of UN and to other humanitarian organizations based in the capital Sanaa to leave the country within 30 days.

“The Department… emphasizes that you should inform officials and workers with US and British citizenship to prepare to leave the country within 30 dayssaid a letter sent by the Houthi “government’s foreign ministry” to the UN’s deputy humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Peter Hawkins.

The letter also instructs foreign organizations not to hire US and British nationals for their organizations’ activities in Yemen.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam confirmed the authenticity of the letter to Reuters.

The office of Hawkins, who is himself a British citizen, did not respond to a request for comment. The US and British embassies in Yemen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Response to US-British strikes

The move comes after US-British strikes in the past two weeks on military targets of the Shiite movement in Yemen.

These strikes came in response to attacks launched by the Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea in recent months. The rebels, who control almost all of northern Yemen, which has been at war for about a decade, say they are targeting ships bound for or “connected” to Israel in a show of “solidarity” with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. enclave under siege by Israel, which the US strongly supports.

The Houthi attacks have forced international shipping companies to change shipping lanes for international trade between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope, adding time and cost.

The US government also last week reinstated the Shiite movement – seen as close to Iran – on the US list of terrorist organisations.