Minister warns of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard transferring sectarian militias across borders to Houthi-controlled areas.

Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar Al-Eryani, issued a stark warning about the perilous actions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which, for months, has been transferring thousands of its sectarian militias of Pakistani and Afghan nationality in batches to areas forcefully controlled by the Houthi militia. This move comes amidst field reports confirming coordination between the Houthi militia and terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and Al-Qaeda, under Iranian patronage and the supervision of senior leaders of these organizations who find refuge in Iran.

In a press statement, Al-Eryani elaborated that this dangerous step coincides with the escalation of piracy and terrorist attacks by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, targeting the safety of international shipping and the free flow of global trade. This is concurrent with the Pakistani authorities’ announcement of the disappearance of 50,000 of its citizens over the past years after they traveled to Iraq to visit religious shrines and sacred places.

Al-Eryani pointed to interviews broadcasted by Al-Masirah TV, affiliated with the Houthi militia, with several Pakistani nationals who participated in its marches in the capital Sanaa, held captive. These individuals revealed their journey to Yemen to engage in what they called “jihad” in support of Gaza, prompting Al-Eryani to question, “Which is closer to the Gaza Strip? Lebanon and Syria, which share borders with Palestine, Iraq, which is 300 km away, or Yemen, distanced by 2000 km?”

He highlighted these glaring contradictions to expose once again that the Iranian regime and its transnational sectarian militias have never posed a real threat to Israel at any stage. Instead, they exploit the Palestinian cause and the tragedy of the Palestinian people as a cover for mobilization and recruitment, serving as a tool to execute their destructive expansionist policies, threatening the security and stability of Arab states, spreading chaos and terrorism in the region, and endangering international interests.

Al-Eryani called for the international community to unite in confronting the systematic terrorism practiced by the Tehran regime, which inflicts a heavy toll on the countries and peoples of the region and the world. He urged forcing Iran to adhere to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, international laws, conventions, and treaties, especially the principle of non-intervention and respect for national sovereignty, and to cease the smuggling of weapons, experts, and fighters to the Houthi militia in flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216.

Furthermore, Al-Eryani demanded the international community to promptly designate the Houthi militia as a “global terrorist organization,” imposing sanctions through asset freezes, travel bans on its leaders, enhancing legal coordination among states to pursue militia members, and those providing financial or logistical support. He also called for bolstering international cooperation in intelligence sharing, combating financing and recruitment, and strengthening monitoring efforts to prevent any financial or logistical activities supporting the militia.

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