Yemen court hands death sentences to 17 for spying

A Houthi-controlled court in Yemen has sentenced 17 people to death after finding them guilty of spying for Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia, according to Houthi media and reports in the Times of Israel.

The Houthi news agency Saba reported that the San‘a specialised criminal court ordered the executions after concluding that an alleged spy ring had passed information to foreign intelligence services and aided attacks on military and civilian sites between 2024 and 2025.

Two other defendants were sentenced to ten years each, and one individual was acquitted. Defence counsel Abdul Basit Gazi said there is a right to appeal.

The sentences follow a recent escalation in detentions after the killing of Yemen’s prime minister, Ahmed Galeb Nasser al-Rahabi, in an Israeli strike, which prompted intensified crackdowns on suspected collaborators.