The Yemeni Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday the dismantling of a large espionage network linked to a joint operations room involving the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Israeli Mossad, and Saudi intelligence services.

The operation, described as multi-phased and extensive, resulted in the arrest of several operatives accused of conducting sabotage and surveillance activities across Yemen.

According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry, the joint operations room operated from Saudi territory, where American, Israeli, and Saudi officers coordinated espionage missions targeting Yemen. The network reportedly oversaw the establishment of multiple small spy cells within Yemen that worked independently but remained connected to a central command structure based outside the country.

The ministry revealed that the network was equipped with advanced surveillance devices and communication systems designed to collect intelligence and transmit coordinates. Recruited operatives were trained in Saudi Arabia on how to operate the devices, draft intelligence reports, and conceal their activities to evade detection.

“These cells were tasked with monitoring Yemen’s vital infrastructure, including military and security installations, weapons manufacturing facilities, and missile and drone launch sites,” the statement said. “They also tracked civilian officials, military leaders, and security commanders, gathering sensitive information about their movements and activities.”

The Interior Ministry further accused the spy network of assisting in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on civilian areas in Yemen. It said the operatives supplied the enemy with coordinates and intelligence that led to attacks on homes, markets, and public facilities, causing civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

“These crimes aimed to damage Yemen’s sovereignty, undermine the economy, and impose living hardships on our people,” the ministry stated. “The exposure of this network is a message to our citizens to remain vigilant against the plots of the American, Zionist, and Saudi intelligence apparatus.”

A security source affiliated with Ansar Allah (the Houthi movement) said that on October 26, Yemeni security forces arrested two women employed by the World Food Programme (WFP) and a Yemeni man working for the same organization on charges of espionage. The arrests took place in Sana’a as part of a wider crackdown on suspected collaborators with the United States and Israel.

According to the source, intelligence services are still tracking a list of individuals accused of cooperating with foreign intelligence agencies under the cover of humanitarian work. Earlier in the week, seven local employees of United Nations agencies were also detained in similar operations.

The leader of Ansar Allah, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, warned last month that several individuals affiliated with international humanitarian organizations were found to be part of an extensive espionage network operating inside Yemen.

In an address on October 16, Sayyed al-Houthi said that enemy spy cells “received advanced technological training” and were embedded in organizations such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF. He accused the United States and Israel of “using humanitarian agencies as a cover for intelligence activity,” enabling operatives to move freely under the protection of international status.

Al-Houthi added that one of the exposed cells, allegedly linked to the World Food Programme, played a direct role in the Israeli targeting of a Yemeni government meeting by transmitting coordinates and updates to Israeli intelligence.

The Interior Ministry said the arrests mark a significant success for Yemen’s security and intelligence services in their “defense of national sovereignty” amid ongoing aggression and foreign interference. Officials emphasized that investigations are continuing, and additional arrests are expected as the probe expands.

“The dismantling of this espionage network is part of Yemen’s ongoing confrontation with the American, Zionist, and Saudi intelligence alliance that seeks to destabilize our country,” the ministry’s statement concluded. (ILKHA)