Yemeni Minister: Iranian and Hezbollah Experts Supervising Battles in Al-Maqatarah and Tur Al-Baha

Yemen Monitor/ Aden/ Exclusive: Yemeni Minister of Legal Affairs, Ishraq al-Maqtari, disclosed information regarding the presence of Iranian experts and Lebanese Hezbollah operatives in the Al-Shamaytayn District of Taiz Governorate, supervising military operations currently underway in the Al-Maqatarah and Tur Al-Baha districts of Lahj Governorate, emphasizing that Iran bears legal responsibility for its role in the Yemeni war. Speaking in a television interview on Tuesday, Al-Maqtari said she received information from residents and activists in the Al-Shamaytayn District—where the city of Al-Turbah is located—indicating the presence of more than three or four experts from Iran and Hezbollah in the district, directly supervising military operations in Al-Maqatarah and Tur Al-Baha. She explained that local residents and activists in the area reported the presence of Iranian experts and commanders overseeing military operations amid ongoing clashes in the two districts. The minister affirmed that recent statements issued by the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni Ministry of Interior regarding Iran’s role in Yemen are neither new nor surprising, noting that Tehran’s support for the Houthi movement and its presence in the Yemeni conflict are well known to observers. She added that what distinguishes the recently disclosed information is the provision of clearer details regarding the identities and specializations of the Iranian experts, whether arriving directly from Iran or linked to Lebanese Hezbollah. “Iran also bears legal responsibility for what is happening in Yemen,” Al-Maqtari stated, considering Tehran a party to the violations targeting Yemen’s security and stability. Al-Maqtari noted that the Iranian presence supporting the Houthis is not limited, according to her statements, to military experts on the battlefronts, but extends to political and military activities conducted by Tehran in areas under the group’s control. The minister cited what she described as the frequent media appearances of Iran’s representative to the Houthis in Sana’a on the group’s media outlets, including Al-Masirah channel, noting that presenting him as an ambassador constitutes a violation, given that he lacks diplomatic credentials recognized by the Yemeni government. She added that the Iranian representative appears at events associated with Houthi leaders, including mourning ceremonies, and follows up on the group’s activities, within what she described as direct Iranian presence in Sana’a. Al-Maqtari also spoke of the role played by Iranian aviation in transporting a number of leaders, representatives, and military experts linked to Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthi movement, considering this another dimension of Iranian interference in Yemeni affairs. The Minister of Legal Affairs stressed that information regarding the Iranian presence and activities attributed to Tehran is receiving increasing attention within Yemeni diplomatic efforts, emphasizing Iran’s responsibility, from her perspective, for violations associated with supporting the armed group in Yemen. The post Yemeni Minister: Iranian and Hezbollah Experts Supervising Battles in Al-Maqatarah and Tur Al-Baha appeared first on Yemen Monitor.