A Houthi-run court in Yemen has sentenced 17 people to death for spying on behalf of Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia, the rebels' official media outlet said.
The Saba news agency said the court in Sanaa had passed the sentences in a case related to “espionage cells within a spy network affiliated with American, Israeli and Saudi intelligence”.
It said they would be executed by firing squad, which would be carried out in public as a deterrent and warning.
Lawyer Abdulbasit Ghazi, representing some of the defendants, said on Facebook that they can appeal against the sentence.
The charges included “colluding with foreign nations in a state of enmity with Yemen during the 2024-2025 period, namely Saudi Arabia, Britain and America”.
The 17 had been working “through officers from those countries and from the Israeli Mossad” intelligence service.
The defendants were also accused of “incitement and aiding with the recruitment of a number of citizens … which led to the targeting of several military, security and civilian sites resulting in the death of dozens and widespread destruction of infrastructure”.
Two other defendants were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while another person was acquitted in the same case.
Israel has launched repeated air strikes over the past two years against targets in Yemen in response to attacks by the Houthis on Israel. The rebels say they have been acting in solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza.
In the wake of the Israeli attacks, the Houthis launched a widespread campaign of arrests, targeting people they accuse of spying for Israel or the US.
The crackdown intensified following an August strike by Israel that killed Houthi prime minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al Rahawi.
