AT LEAST nine Yemeni employees of United Nations agencies have been detained by Yemen’s Houthi rebels under unclear circumstances, authorities said today, as the rebels face increasing financial pressure and air strikes from a US-led coalition.

The detentions come as the Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital nearly a decade ago and have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since shortly after, have been targeting shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor over Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.

But while gaining more attention internationally, the group has cracked down at dissent at home, including recently sentencing 44 people to death.