Yemen says 21 foreign experts now direct Houthi military operations

Twenty-one military specialists are currently embedded within Houthi ranks in Yemen, according to the country’s internationally recognized government. Interior Minister Major-General Ibrahim Haidan announced the deployment on Tuesday, asserting that these foreign fighters are no longer just advisors but are actively directing combat.

Haidan specified that the group includes 14 members from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and seven from Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The minister stated that this arrangement marks a change from previous support models that focused on funding, weapons, and training. He described the current phase as one of direct supervision, where these outsiders are managing the planning of operations and the development of military capabilities.

The government provided a breakdown of where these personnel are located. Eight experts are based in Hodeidah, four are in the capital Sanaa, and another four are in Saada. The remaining personnel are distributed among Hajjah with two, Amran with two, and the coastal city of Khokha with one.

A list of assigned specialities includes command and control, ballistic missiles, and drone technology. The government also cited expertise in electronic warfare, the smuggling of military components, and the coordination of naval operations. Haidan claimed these specialists are selecting commercial ships as targets and developing boats laden with explosives. They are also credited with creating autonomous submarines and training local fighters in mine-laying and siege tactics.

Haidan warned that these activities threaten shipping lanes in the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea. He urged the international community to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization and to enforce the arms embargo established by United Nations Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2624. He also called for the dismantling of Houthi networks for financing and arms acquisition.

This diplomatic move occurs while Yemeni armed forces battle 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. This resumption of hostilities ended a relative calm maintained by a 2022 ceasefire, which followed a civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthis captured Sanaa.

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