UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is taking action against an employee over allegations that he spied for Israel in his previous UN job, a UN spokesman confirmed Friday.

The staffer, identified as Yahav Lichner, is leading UNICEF's office in Washington, D.C.

Lichner has reportedly been placed on administrative leave.

"What I can tell you is that UNICEF is aware of serious allegations concerning an employee and is taking the appropriate action," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

"If true, such actions would be inconsistent with staff obligations under the UN Charter, the staff regulations and the standards of conduct for the international civil service, all of which emphasize that the responsibilities of staff are international, not national, and which call for the independence and impartiality of the staff of the UN," said the spokesman.

According to an investigation by the Drop Site news outlet based on leaked emails obtained by the hacking group Handala, Lichner allegedly provided confidential UN information to Israeli officials when he was serving at the UN Population Fund. The hacked emails upon which the Drop Site investigation is based cover the years 2014 and 2015.