Aden (South24)

The Yemeni Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of three cells affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the governorates of Al-Mahrah, Hadramout and Abyan in South Yemen.

The Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Wednesday (February 5) that police forces in Al-Mahrah governorate arrested two persons on a boat while they were attempting to illegally enter Yemen from Iran.

According to the statement, initial investigations revealed that the accused were working for the Houthi militia, recently classified by the US as a terrorist group. The two persons admitted that they were transporting shipments of prohibited materials through Djibouti and from there to the port of Mokha in Hodeidah, as part of the smuggling activities run by the Houthis.

On Tuesday (February 4), the Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of a Houthi cell in Wadi Hadramout.

It said that Interior Minister Major General Ibrahim Haydan contacted the police director in Wadi Hadramout, Brigadier General Abdullah Al-Sayari, and praised the arrest of "a cell affiliated with the Houthi militia, which was seeking to destabilize security and stability".

Hours later, the Yemeni Interior Ministry announced that the Abyan police, in coordination with the Security Belt Forces, had arrested a number of suspected members of a Houthi cell in Sabah district.

The statement said the operation was conducted after receiving accurate intelligence information regarding suspicious activity by elements linked to the Houthis.

The statement explained that the cell consisted of five people, but did not reveal their identities. It noted that the accused were sent to prison, and are being investigated to complete the necessary legal procedures.

During 2024, the pro-Southern Transitional Council (STC) Southern forces arrested several cells and individuals working for the Houthis in the capital, Aden, and in the governorates of Lahj, Al-Dhalea, Abyan and Shabwa.

The STC accuses the Houthis of supporting the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other terrorist groups, and committing large-scale bombings and assassinations.