Hidden hands behind the Houthis: Yemen claims 21 IRGC and Hezbollah agents are supporting rebels

The Yemeni government has accused 21 individuals with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah of aiding the Houthi rebels in their civil war. The Interior Minister, Ibrahim Haidan, revealed that the group comprises 14 IRGC experts and seven Hezbollah members, who are allegedly responsible for supervising the rebels' operations.

These suspects are believed to possess expertise in various military fields, including drones, ballistic missiles, surveillance, electronic warfare, and smuggling military equipment. The Yemeni government has not disclosed the identities of the suspects or provided evidence to support their claims. The minister also alleged that the group coordinated naval operations, selected targets among commercial vessels, developed explosive-laden boats and autonomous underwater weapons, and trained Houthis in minelaying and urban warfare.

The alleged activities, according to Haidan, pose a threat to regional security, maritime safety, freedom of navigation, and international trade and energy supplies. He warned that the transfer of military expertise and technology could enable other armed groups to develop similar capabilities. The agents are stationed in six Yemeni governorates, with varying numbers in each region.

Haidan called for the international community to classify the Houthis as a terrorist organization, accusing them of using Yemen as a testbed for various military technologies. Recent Houthi advances have brought the group within 80 kilometers of Aden, a city that has been off-limits to them since the beginning of the war in 2014.