Yemen blames Iran and Hezbollah for sending 21 military experts to aid Houthis

The internationally recognized government of Yemen has formally accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of deploying a team of 21 experts to assist the Houthi movement. According to officials, these specialists have been tasked with planning and directing military operations across the country.

Interior Minister Major-General Ibrahim Haidan made the announcement in a statement released on Tuesday. He specified that the group consists of 14 members from the IRGC and seven individuals from Hezbollah. Haidan noted that the specific roles assigned to these experts indicate a significant shift in foreign involvement in the conflict.

The minister stated that external support has evolved beyond merely providing financing, weapons, and training. He described the new phase as one of direct supervision, where foreign actors are now participating in the planning and management of operations as well as the development of military capabilities.

The statement detailed the geographic distribution of the experts. Eight of them are located in Hodeidah, while four are stationed in Sanaa and another four in Saada. The remaining personnel are split between Hajjah, where two are present, Amran, which also hosts two, and the coastal city of Khokha, which has one expert.

A list of specialities provided by the government includes command and control, ballistic missiles, and drone technology. Other areas of expertise mentioned are electronic warfare, the smuggling of military components, and the coordination of naval operations. The experts are also credited with selecting commercial ships as targets, developing boats laden with explosives, creating autonomous submarines, and training fighters in mine-laying and siege tactics.

Haidan warned that these activities pose a threat to shipping lanes in the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea. He further cautioned that the transfer of military expertise could potentially benefit other armed groups in the region.

In light of these developments, the interior minister called upon the international community to take decisive action. He urged global leaders to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization and to dismantle their networks for financing and arms acquisition. Additionally, he emphasized the need to enforce the arms embargo established by United Nations Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2624.

This diplomatic move comes at a time of renewed conflict. Yemeni armed forces and fighters loyal to the government are currently battling the Houthis across five provinces. The fighting intensified after the Houthi group seized control of the western Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb area in September.

The resumption of hostilities has ended a period of relative calm that had been maintained by a ceasefire in 2022. That truce had followed a lengthy civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa. In 2015, Saudi Arabia joined the conflict at the head of an international coalition with the goal of restoring the internationally recognized government.

The government has long maintained that the IRGC supports the Houthis, although Tehran has insisted that the Yemeni group acts independently. While the Houthis acknowledge their alliance with Iran, they have frequently denied being a proxy for Tehran. Hezbollah has previously rejected any significant role in the Yemeni war. Recently, Saudi Arabia, whose airports and oil facilities have faced Houthi attacks, has accused Iran of encouraging the current escalation.