Houthis release 2 U.S. citizens in Yemen in deal allowing return of stranded delegation

A Houthi official said on Saturday that his group released two U.S. nationals detained in Yemen's capital Sanaa on charges of espionage in a deal meditated by Oman in return for allowing a Houthi delegation to return back home.

"We handed over the Americans to Omani authorities on Saturday... they will be airlifted through the same Omani plane that carried the national (Houthi delegation) and arrived in Sanaa at noon," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

He said that one of the Americans is an English teacher who was arrested on Sept. 21.

The Houthi delegation, which also includes delegates of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party, had been stranded in the Omani capital, Muscat, since August following the collapse of peace talks with the international-backed Yemeni government sponsored by the United Nations in Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition from nine Arab countries since March 2015 in support of Yemeni exiled government of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has been imposing air, land and sea blockade on Houthi group and Saleh's party.

The Saudi-led coalition had blocked Houthi and Saleh delegates from returning to Sanaa since August.

Security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out after the Shiite Houthi group, supported by the former President Saleh, stormed through Sanaa and forced internationally-backed government of President Hadi into exile.

The move triggered a military air force intervention by the Saudi-led coalition to fight against the rebels and restore Hadi and his government to the capital.

The outbreak of war prompted foreign countries to close their embassies and evacuate their staff.

The war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, injured about 35,000 others and displaced over three million, according to statistics from humanitarian agencies. Endit