SANAA, NOV 3: Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Tuesday that 21 Iranian and Hezbollah operatives are overseeing Houthi military operations, including operational planning, command and control, and weapons development.
Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali Haidan said the group includes 14 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and seven Hezbollah operatives deployed across six Yemeni governorates.
Haidan described the network as a “general staff” directing operations on behalf of Tehran rather than a training mission.
According to the minister, the operatives specialize in ballistic missiles, drones, surveillance, electronic warfare, communications, weapons smuggling and military logistics.
Their activities also include coordinating maritime attacks, selecting commercial shipping targets, developing explosive-laden boats and autonomous submarines, and training Houthi fighters in minelaying, siege tactics and urban warfare.
Haidan added that the network is led by a senior IRGC commander operating in Yemen under diplomatic cover as an ambassador. He described the commander as the “general supervisor of operations, strategic adviser, and head of the joint operations room.”
The Yemeni government warned that Iran’s use of Yemen as a testing ground for weapons threatens regional security, international shipping and energy supplies in the Red Sea.
It also accused the Houthis of using the Palestinian cause to draw Yemenis into a conflict serving Iranian interests.
“The war their sons are being dragged into under the pretext of supporting Palestine is not their war, but a war with an Iranian agenda and a price they must pay,” the minister said, addressing residents of Houthi-controlled areas.
The ministry called on the international community to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, disrupt their financing and weapons networks, and enforce UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2624, which address the arms embargo.
It said Yemeni security forces would continue supporting military operations under Operation Dawn of Yemen, aimed at restoring government control over state institutions and the capital, Sanaa.
