Yemen Accuses IRGC and Hezbollah of Sending 21 Experts

Yemen's internationally recognized administration has publicly claimed that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon's Hezbollah have dispatched twenty-one specialists to assist the Houthi movement in planning and executing combat strategies. Major-General Ibrahim Haidan, the interior minister, released a statement specifying that fourteen of these individuals belong to the IRGC while seven originate from Hezbollah.

According to the ministerial statement, the deployment signifies an escalation from previous financial and material backing into direct supervision and operational management. The personnel are reportedly distributed across multiple areas, with eight stationed in Hodeidah, four in Sanaa, four in Saada, two in Hajjah, two in Amran, and one in Khokha. Their specialized functions purportedly span command systems, ballistic rockets, unmanned aerial devices, electronic combat, and naval logistics.

Foreign experts have expanded Houthi capabilities in missiles, naval operations, and siege tactics.

Minister Haidan emphasized that these activities endanger commercial shipping within the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb strait. He urged global authorities to classify the Houthi movement as a terrorist entity, dismantle its financial networks, and strictly enforce existing United Nations arms restrictions.

Yemen Houthis and Regional Conflict

The announcement coincides with renewed hostilities across five provinces following the collapse of a 2022 truce. This latest fighting builds upon a prolonged civil conflict originating in 2014 when the Houthis captured the capital city of Sanaa, prompting an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia to intervene the following year.

While the Yemeni government maintains that Tehran directs the insurgent group, Iranian officials contend that the movement operates autonomously. Meanwhile, regional attacks on energy infrastructure and transportation routes have heightened tensions as international observers monitor the evolving security landscape.

Why it matters

The alleged presence of foreign specialists directly impacts maritime security and commercial navigation routes in the Red Sea region. By shifting from basic armaments to advanced tactical supervision, the conflict threatens international trade corridors and deepens regional instability.