Yemeni Interior Ministry: 21 IRGC and Hezbollah Experts Directing Houthi Operations

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom: The Yemeni Ministry of Interior has disclosed the presence of 21 foreign military operatives working directly with the Houthi movement. The deployment includes 14 personnel from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and seven from Lebanon’s Hezbollah. According to the ministry, their involvement has progressed beyond tactical training and technical assistance to direct participation in operational planning, battle management, and the development of advanced weaponry and combat systems. Yemeni Minister of Interior, Major General Ibrahim Ali Haydan, stated on Tuesday that the presence of these foreign operatives signals a structural transformation in Iranian intervention in Yemen. He noted that Tehran’s support has evolved from financing, arming, and training to direct operational command and long-term military capacity building, alongside political, organizational, social, and media initiatives designed to consolidate local influence. Minister Haydan detailed the geographic deployment of the 21 foreign experts across six strategic governorates and regions: Hudaidah Governorate: 8 experts Sana’a Governorate: 4 experts Sa’ada Governorate: 4 experts Hajjah Governorate: 2 experts Amran Governorate: 2 experts Al-Khawkhah District: 1 expert He stated that their operational portfolio encompasses command-and-control oversight, management of ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs, and the enhancement of radar, communications, and electronic warfare capabilities, in addition to overseeing logistics and military component smuggling networks. On the maritime front, the Interior Minister explained that the foreign personnel coordinate naval targeted operations, identify commercial vessels for targeting, develop bomb-laden uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and autonomous submersibles, and train Houthi fighters in naval mine laying and urban warfare tactics. Haydan added that the key personnel list includes a senior IRGC military officer overseeing top-level operations—operating under diplomatic cover as an ambassador—alongside strategic advisers, joint operations room managers, field officers of varying ranks, and specialized engineers working in workshops dedicated to assembling and modifying drones, smart munitions, ballistic missiles, radar systems, and naval equipment. “A Fully Formed General Staff Structure” Minister Haydan characterized the foreign contingent not as a simple training advisory mission, but as a “fully formed general staff structure,” pointing to their comprehensive cross-disciplinary expertise spanning strategic planning, operational supervision, and technical weapons development. He warned that the risks associated with these activities extend beyond Yemen’s borders, directly threatening regional security, international shipping, seafarer safety, and commercial navigation through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, with broader implications for global supply chains and energy security. Furthermore, Haydan highlighted the threat of military technology and tactical expertise being transferred to affiliated armed groups sharing the Houthis’ extremist ideology. He noted that foreign technical assistance has turned Yemen into a testing ground for refining advanced military technology, including cruise missiles, ballistic systems, attack drones, and explosive-laden fast boats. Links to the Taiz Blockade and Call for Action The Interior Minister explicitly linked foreign military support to ongoing battlefield escalations across the country, asserting that the multi-year Houthi blockade imposed on the city of Taiz is a direct outcome of IRGC and Hezbollah operational management. He emphasized that strategic decisions are effectively formulated in Tehran and announced in Sana’a, while Yemeni civilians in Taiz, Hudaidah, and other governorates bear the humanitarian and security consequences. Addressing Yemeni citizens residing in Houthi-controlled areas, Haydan declared that the hostilities conducted under the banner of supporting Palestine do not serve Yemeni national interests, stating: “The Houthis merely declare this war, Tehran scripts it, and you pay its price.” The minister renewed calls to the international community to take decisive measures against Iranian interference, urging the global community to formally designate the Houthi movement as a terrorist organization, dismantle its illicit arms and financing channels, and strictly enforce UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2624 regarding the arms embargo. Concluding his statement, Haydan commended security units and intelligence services for tracking cross-border networks and monitoring operational threats, reaffirming the Ministry of Interior’s commitment to supporting state institutions within the framework of Operation Fajr Al-Yamen (Dawn of Yemen) to restore state sovereignty and security across the country. The post Yemeni Interior Ministry: 21 IRGC and Hezbollah Experts Directing Houthi Operations appeared first on Yemen Monitor.