Yemen accuses Iran, Hezbollah of sending 21 military 'experts' to support Houthis

NOVEMBER 7, 2026 22:35Yemen's government accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah on Tuesday of deploying 21 military expert operatives to aid the Houthis in Yemen, alleging that they were directly involved in planning military operations, developing weapons, and coordinating maritime attacks.Interior Minister Brig-Gen Ibrahim Haidan said in a statement published by the ministry on Tuesday that the group included 14 IRGC members and seven Hezbollah operatives working across six Yemeni governorates. The ministry published the allegations in a post on its official X/Twitter account.According to the statement, the operatives were based in Hodeidah, Sanaa, Saada, Hajjah, Amran and al-Khawkhah. The reported specializations of the experts included ballistic missiles, drones, electronic warfare, communications, military supply networks, and the smuggling of weapons components.Haidan alleged that the operatives were "coordinating maritime operations and selecting targets for commercial ships, developing explosive boats and engineering self-propelled submarines, training elements on planting mines and military tactics for sieges and urban warfare."Haidan said Iran's involvement had moved beyond financing, arming and training the Houthis to direct participation in operational planning and command. He described the group as a military staff rather than a training mission, led by an IRGC officer who also served as the general supervisor of operations and director of joint operations.Houthi supporters rally to show support to the movement as fighting intensifies across several Yemeni fronts, in Sanaa, Yemen October 9, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed al-Mahdi)Haidan emphasized in the ministry's statement, "the importance of the international community classifying the militia [the Houthis] as a terrorist organization, dismantling its funding and arming networks, and implementing the arms embargo stipulated under Security Council resolutions (2216) and (2624)."'Houthis only have the microphone, while the decision is written in Tehran'The minister warned that the alleged activities threatened the stability of the region and freedom of navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, as well as international trade routes and energy supplies."The Houthis only have the microphone, while the decision is written in Tehran and announced in Sanaa, and the people of Taiz, Hodeidah, and the rest of the affected governorates pay the price," the ministry said.Addressing Yemenis living under Houthi control, it added, "This war into which the Houthis are driving you under claims of supporting Palestine is not your war, but rather the Houthis are the ones who declare it only, and Iran is the one who writes it, and you are the ones paying its price."Hezbollah denied the claims on Wednesday, saying that the report about experts working with the Houthis was “entirely baseless” and unsupported by facts, according to the Lebanese outlet L'Orient Today. The group said Yemenis had the capabilities and expertise needed to defend their country without outside intervention.The accusations came amid Yemen's prolonged civil war, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. Fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition has escalated, with the Houthis targeting regional airports and other civilian infrastructure.Follow us on Google