The Houthi group is depleting the population in the Yemeni Ibb Governorate, by pushing them to the Taiz fronts, in parallel with expanding its use of military sites and mountain highlands within the governorate as platforms for launching ballistic missiles, in a path that exacerbates the risks surrounding the population.
Local sources reported to Asharq Al-Awsat that the group sent, for the third time in less than a month, new military reinforcements from Ibb towards the Taiz fronts, an indication of its continued reliance on attracting the people of the governorate to compensate for its human losses, and supplying the front lines with new fighters, amid increasing difficulties in recruiting more residents and tribes in the areas under its control.
These repeated movements, according to the sources, reveal the group’s increasing need to compensate for its losses on the front lines by expanding recruitment campaigns and depleting the human resources of the governorates under its control, at a time when thousands of families bear the burden of losing their children and breadwinners, in addition to the living and social repercussions resulting from the continued involvement of young men in the fighting.
Informed sources reported that Ibb Governorate recently topped the list of governorates relied upon by the Houthi militias to supply the Taiz fronts with fighters, followed by Dhamar, then the kidnapped capital Sanaa and its countryside, and Amran Governorate.
Invitation to fight
A young man from the city of Ibb, who managed to escape a few days ago from one of the fighting fronts in Taiz, narrates an aspect of the recruitment methods used by the militias to recruit young men and push them into battles, under slogans that do not reflect the reality of the tasks assigned to them.
The young man said that he enrolled in a military course after he was under the illusion that it was aimed at preparing to confront Israel, before he found himself sent to the Taiz front to fight against the people of the governorate who share brotherly and neighborly ties with the people of Ibb.
He added: “They told us that the fighting in Taiz was part of the training, and that we would then go to Palestine, but days passed and nothing of that happened.”
The Houthi use of Ibb Governorate is not limited to attracting fighters; Rather, it extends to employing its lands and military sites in combat operations. Local sources and residents reported that the group had recently turned military sites and mountain heights into platforms for launching ballistic missiles towards Taiz and other governorates.
According to the sources, the sites include the Al-Hamzah and Central Security camps, and Jabal Al-Takr, in addition to agricultural sites and mountainous heights in the Al-Sayani, Al-Sabra, and Jableh districts. These movements raise fears of exposing the surrounding areas, residents, and their property to the dangers of military escalation.
Increasing tension
Yemeni activists accused Houthi leaders of fueling tension between the people of Ibb and Taiz, by intensifying recruitment campaigns in villages and districts, then sending recruits to the fighting fronts in Taiz, in conjunction with using sites inside the governorate to launch missiles towards other areas.
Activists warned that the continuation of these policies threatens to transfer the repercussions of the conflict from the arenas of confrontation to the social fabric of the two governorates, whose people are linked by neighborhood relations, history, and common interests. They stressed that transforming these connections into paths for mobilization and fighting exacerbates the suffering of the population, exposes more families to the loss of their children, and fuels divisions within local communities.
The activists called on notables and families in Ibb to confront the Houthi polarization campaigns and protect their children from being lured to the fighting fronts. Especially in Taiz, they warned against exploiting inflammatory slogans to recruit young people and push them into confrontations whose human and social costs will be borne by families and local communities.
They also stressed the need to prevent the conversion of residential areas and their surroundings into sites for military use and platforms for launching ballistic missiles, as this may pose risks to civilians and their property.
They emphasized that protecting the governorate begins with rejecting forced or misleading recruitment, keeping population centers away from combat operations, and not allowing the local community to be transformed into a permanent source of fighters or a launching pad for attacks.
Egypt renewed its classification of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, in a step in a series of judicial and security prosecutions that began against it since its overthrow in 2013, following the removal of the president to which it belonged, Mohamed Morsi, in the summer of that year.
The renewal comes with a solid Egyptian position from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi towards the organization, coinciding with successive Western steps against it, which enhances the chances of undermining its steps, preventing it from redeploying, and drying up its sources of funding internally and internationally, according to experts in law and Islamic groups who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.
New decision
The Cairo Criminal Court of First Instance decided to extend the inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and 14 individuals on the lists of terrorist entities for a new period of 5 years. The announcement of the ruling comes 3 days after the president spoke about the “Brotherhood” organization in the “Egypt Forum,” accusing it of “being unable to lead the country and causing it to fail.”
Professor of Public International Law, Mohamed Mahmoud Mahran, said in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that this decision “practically means the continuation of the listing until 2031, with specific legal implications.”
He pointed out that “the decision has four immediate and concomitant legal effects, which are firstly freezing the assets and funds associated with the group and those listed among its members inside Egypt based on the Egyptian anti-terrorism law, secondly prohibiting any financial or administrative dealings with the designated entity or persons, thirdly allowing criminal prosecution of anyone who promotes, finances or belongs to the group in accordance with Egyptian legislation, and fourthly providing a legal cover for international security cooperation with countries that recognize this designation.”
Mahran stressed that “the added importance of this decision is that it was issued in a judicial form by a court, and not an administrative decision, which gives it stronger legitimacy and broader enforceability and makes it more resistant to any possible appeals.”
In turn, Mounir Adeeb, a researcher in the affairs of “extremist movements and international terrorism,” confirmed in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision carries implications that go beyond the judicial procedure, “as it reflects the Egyptian state’s continued dealings with the organization as a national security issue that requires an extended legal and security confrontation, not limited to prosecuting individuals, but rather including drying up funding sources and limiting the organization’s ability to rebuild its networks.”
Adeeb pointed out that the importance of the decision “lies in the continuity of the legal framework that allows taking measures related to inclusion, in accordance with Egyptian law, including procedures related to funds, assets, travel, and related activities, according to the legal provisions applicable to each case.”
He added, "The renewal of the listing sends a clear message that changing organizational facades or re-presenting oneself in a political or social image does not waive legal responsibility whenever its reasons are available."
Mahran pointed out that the Cairo Criminal Decision is “an internal national decision that does not automatically oblige other countries to recognize it except within the framework of bilateral judicial cooperation agreements.”
But Adeeb believes that “renewing the organization’s terrorist classification enhances opportunities for international security and judicial cooperation, especially in exchanging information regarding the movement of funds, individuals, and entities associated with the organization, and benefiting from the judicial assistance mechanisms stipulated in the relevant agreements.”
He stressed that “the international impact is not achieved automatically once the Egyptian decision is issued, but rather depends on the national laws of other countries, the extent of recognition of inclusions, and the availability of evidence and information necessary to take similar measures.”
Adeeb explained, “The most effective confrontation does not stop at judicial classification, but rather extends to dismantling the group’s financial, media, and organizational structure, revealing the mechanisms for recruiting followers and exploiting crises, while strengthening the institutions’ ability to confront extremist discourse.”
Major General Khaled Al-Qamali, Commander of the Yemeni Coast Guard, confirmed that 3 Houthi missiles targeted sites belonging to the authority in the interim capital, Aden, and caused damage to the infrastructure, stressing that the attack did not stop the agency’s tasks, and that work continues “normally” and with high morale.
Al-Qamali told Asharq Al-Awsat: “3 Houthi missiles targeted the Yemeni Coast Guard facility in Aden, resulting in damage to the infrastructure. Thank God, our tasks are continuing normally and our morale is high.”
The “General Administration for Moral Guidance and Public Relations” of the Yemeni Ministry of Interior reported that the attack occurred on Saturday afternoon, and targeted the Coast Guard headquarters in the Ministry’s office in the temporary capital, Aden, with two ballistic missiles, while a third missile hit the Coast Guard building in the Al-Tawahi District.
The administration said, in a statement, that the targeting targets security and service facilities, and comes as an extension of previous attacks that targeted civilian and vital facilities in Aden, including Aden International Airport, which was subjected to attacks with ballistic missiles and drones on more than one occasion.
She added that the competent authorities continue to collect information and evidence to assess the damage and take the necessary measures to enhance security and protect facilities and citizens.
The ministry's statement did not indicate any casualties, nor did it specify the extent of material damage. Reuters reported, citing the Yemeni government, that three ballistic missiles targeted Coast Guard sites in Aden, while the Ministry of Interior said that two missiles hit the main headquarters, and a third, the agency’s building in Tawahi.
The Coast Guard in the Gulf of Aden sector performs tasks that include securing ports and their facilities, monitoring the movement of ships, sea lanes and the coast, in addition to accompanying ships when needed and rescue operations. These tasks gain additional importance in light of Yemen’s efforts to enhance port security and coordination between the authorities concerned with maritime security. Last August, the International Maritime Organization held a workshop in Aden in which representatives of the Coast Guard, government and port agencies participated, to discuss maritime security governance, exchange of information, and protection of port facilities.
A cell and a weapons shipment were seized in Shabwa
In Shabwa, the governor praised; Awad Muhammad bin Al-Wazir, Chairman of the Security Committee, described what he described as a “qualitative security achievement” achieved by the Rapid Intervention Forces, which was the seizure of a Houthi cell of 13 members, and a truck loaded with weapons, ammunition, high-explosive explosive devices, and various shells.
According to a statement issued by the Governorate Information Office on Sunday, Bin Al-Wazir, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Shabwa Defense Forces, Brigadier General Ali Al-Khader, reviewed a report submitted by the Commander of the Rapid Intervention Forces, Colonel Khamis Hussein Muhammad, reviewing the details of the operation that was carried out after investigation, monitoring and follow-up, in coordination with the relevant security authorities.
The report explained that the seizures included sniper weapons, ammunition, explosive devices and various shells, noting that preliminary investigations revealed that the shipment was smuggled by sea boat, and that the cell members received it on the coast of Radum District, in preparation for its transfer to the Houthis.
Local authorities confirmed the continuation of security measures and investigations to uncover the circumstances of the operation, its extensions, and the elements involved in it.
Bin Al-Wazir said that the operation is of exceptional importance. It was achieved days after a Houthi attack with ballistic missiles targeting members of the Rapid Intervention Forces, which, according to the governorate’s statement, resulted in the death of 77 and the injury of 195 others.
The governor considered that the forces’ continued performance of their duties, despite the losses they incurred, was an expression of the steadfastness of their members and their determination to continue their security duty, praising their vigilance and ability to track down suspicious activities and thwart the smuggling of weapons and explosives.
He stressed the need to raise the level of readiness and vigilance among various security and military units, intensify oversight and inspection of roads and land and sea ports, and enhance coordination and exchange of information to pursue smuggling networks and the elements involved in them.
For his part, the commander of the Rapid Intervention Forces stressed that the support of the local authority represents a moral motivation for members of the forces to continue performing their duties, enhancing readiness, and fulfilling the sacrifices of their dead and wounded colleagues.
