Yemen Accuses Iran's IRGC and Hezbollah of Directing Houthi Operations with 21 Agents

Yemen's government has asserted that 21 agents from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah have been instrumental in planning and directing Houthi operations throughout the civil war in Yemen. According to Yemeni Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan, this group consists of 14 IRGC experts and seven Hezbollah members. Minister Haidan stated that their involvement signifies an escalation of foreign backing for the Houthis, extending beyond financial aid and training to direct operational supervision.

The minister detailed that these individuals possess expertise in critical areas such as drones, ballistic missiles, surveillance, electronic warfare, and the smuggling of military equipment. While the ministry did not publicly identify the 21 suspects or offer substantiating evidence for these allegations, Minister Haidan further accused them of coordinating naval activities, selecting commercial vessels as targets, developing explosive-laden boats and autonomous underwater weapons, and training Houthi fighters in minelaying and urban combat techniques.

Minister Haidan claimed that an IRGC military officer was leading this group, which also included roles such as an operations supervisor, a strategic adviser, the head of a joint operations room, and specialists in drones, ballistic missiles, and maritime operations. He characterized their presence not as a training mission but as a "fully fledged general staff." The minister issued a warning that these alleged activities pose a threat to regional security, the safety of seafarers, freedom of navigation through the Bab Al Mandeb strait and the Red Sea, as well as international trade and energy supplies. He also expressed concern that the transfer of military expertise and technology could empower other armed groups to develop similar capabilities.

A statement released by the ministry on Tuesday indicated that these agents are stationed across six Yemeni governorates: eight in Hodeidah, four each in Sanaa and Saada, two each in Hajjah and Amran, and one in Al Khokha. Minister Haidan urged the international community to classify the Houthis as a terrorist organization, accusing them of utilizing Yemen as a testing ground for ballistic missiles, drones, cruise missiles, and explosive-laden speedboats.

In parallel developments, four military sources cited by Reuters on Monday reported that the Houthis have advanced to within 80 kilometers of Aden. This proximity marks the closest the group has come to the city since the early stages of the war in 2015. The current advance threatens key strategic positions along the primary route connecting Aden with the besieged city of Taiz. This offensive follows a broader campaign initiated in September, during which Houthi forces moved down Yemen's Red Sea coast, capturing territory near the Bab Al Mandeb strait, a vital international shipping lane and a crucial passage for Saudi oil exports to Asia. According to the military sources, this advance could enable the Houthis to outmaneuver government forces positioned along the mountain range overlooking the strait, an area from which government troops had only recently expelled Houthi fighters.

This latest escalation has disrupted the 2022 UN-brokered truce, which had largely suppressed major attacks in the conflict that commenced in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa from the government. The ongoing fighting has also ignited a volatile new front in the broader regional conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.