Damascus expels Houthi representatives from Yemen's embassy

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak announced that according to Faisal Mekdad, his counterpart in the Syrian government, the Houthis’ diplomatic mission has been expelled from the Yemeni embassy in Damascus. 

The news came yesterday as Bin Mubarak made press statements to Independent Arabia. “This occurred as a result of our recent meetings with the Syrian brothers in Egypt and Saudi Arabia,” Bin Mubarak said. 

He added: "We are immediately prepared to appoint a diplomatic mission there in the coming period." 

The Iranian-backed Houthi group has yet to officially comment on the matter, though a Houthi financial official did acknowledge the incident. 

Khaled Al-Arassi, a general director in the Houthi Ministry of Finance, shared his views in a Facebook post, stating: “We have failed the only test of our representation in international relations.” He added “The decision to close the embassy means that we have failed in the diplomatic framework.” 

According to media sources, the Houthi ambassador to Damascus, Abdullah Sabri, left the city a few days ago. Al-Sabri had served as the Houthi ambassador to Damascus since November 2020, carrying out his duties from the city’s Yemeni embassy until his departure. 

Prior to that, the Houthi ambassadorial position had been filled by Naif Al-Qanis following his appointment in March 2016, when he was made their first ambassador to a foreign country. They also appointed Ibrahim Al-Dulaimi as an ambassador to Tehran. 

In December 2021, Iran announced the death of Hassan Erlo, its ambassador to Sanaa, under mysterious circumstances.