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Zeinabeyyat: The Face of Female Militias in Yemen

Child standing next to Houthi women in Sana'a at an armed gathering (Reuters)
Child standing next to Houthi women in Sana'a at an armed gathering (Reuters)
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Zeinabeyyat: The Face of Female Militias in Yemen

Child standing next to Houthi women in Sana'a at an armed gathering (Reuters)
Child standing next to Houthi women in Sana'a at an armed gathering (Reuters)

The so-called Zeinabeyyat is a women's military group established by Houthis to suppress and abuse women and arrest the families based on Iranian ethics, according to Yemeni officials and observers.

Advisor to Yemeni Minister of Information Faisal al-Awadhi explained that Zeinabeyyat is a group of marginalized women trained by Iran-backed Houthi insurgents.

"All the Iranian militias in the region are pursuing the same approach, by recruiting children and women," he said.

Awadhi points out that Houthi militias "exploit socially marginalized poor families," saying the majority of the Zeinabeyyat have such a background while the leaders are from the Hashemite families and trainers who recruit members.

Although the role of the Zeinabeyyat is to storm into houses, search them, intimidate families and harass any demonstrators against Houthi militias, they have gone beyond that and are now looting homes, especially gold and jewelry. They even steal children's toys.

"They can be described as enemies with guns but without ethical principles. Zeinabeyyat raid houses for the purpose of looting, intimidation and torture ... It is a trained militia that steals mobile phones and confiscates toys while breaking into houses," continued Awadhi.

On Saturday, Zeinabeyyat groups attacked a women's demonstration against Houthi militias in Tahrir square in Sana’a.

According to eyewitnesses, the women's demonstration was suppressed, a number of participants were arrested, and several others were hospitalized after being injured.

The group increased its house raids after the killing of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh by Houthi militias on December 4. Homes of officials of the General People's Congress (GPS), which was headed by Saleh, were raided, women abused, and children intimidated. They also confiscated personal belongings, jewelry and mobile phones.

Yemeni political writer and analyst Hamdan al-Ali states that the Yemeni society does not accept men to enter and search houses. Houthis then established these groups to suppress and arrest women freely.

A female family member of a GPS official recalled the raid on her home in Sana’a.

"The mercenaries, this is the money of the people, and you must return to it," she says.  

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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
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Former Regime Elements, Drug Traffickers Targeted in Western Homs and Damascus Campaigns

The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).
The Anti-Narcotics Department seizes a drug depot belonging to Maher al-Assad in the Sabura area in the Damascus countryside (Ministry of Interior).

The Syrian Military Operations Administration has been pressing its security campaigns aimed at disarming former regime militia remnants and combating drug traffickers across Syria.

On Tuesday, for the third time, the administration, in collaboration with the General Security Directorate, launched a large-scale operation in western rural Homs. The campaign focused on the villages of Jabbourin Rafain, Al-Haysa, Jabbourin, Qaniyat Al-Assi, Tasnin, Kafrnan, Akrad Al-Dasniya, and their surroundings. Simultaneous campaigns were conducted in Aleppo’s Nairab district, Jaramana in the Damascus countryside, and northern Daraa.

Security sources said the operation in rural Homs targets “remnants of Assad militias who refused to surrender their weapons, arms depots, drug dealers, and traffickers,” according to an official statement from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Military reinforcements were dispatched to support the campaign in the targeted areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the operation in the village of Jabbourin in rural Hama marked the second such operation within a week. The observatory noted that several civilians and military personnel, including those who had reconciled with the government, were arrested. Some detainees were later released, while others remain under investigation.

Residents in rural Homs expressed significant concern about the proliferation of weapons, incidents of abductions, and the escalating fear of retribution. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, they noted a prevailing sense of unease and insecurity, as anonymous actors exploit the current chaos to fuel tensions and instability.

The General Security Directorate in Homs has urged residents in western rural Homs villages and towns to fully cooperate with its forces and the Military Operations Administration to ensure the success of the campaign’s objectives.

In Daraa, southern Syria, the Daraa 24 network reported that the General Security Directorate carried out a raid in the city of Izraa, north of Daraa. During the operation, large quantities of weapons were seized, and warnings were issued to individuals still in possession of firearms to surrender them “to preserve the region’s security and stability.”

An earlier security operation in the Lajat region, located between the Suwayda and Daraa governorates, resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals described as former regime remnants, drug traffickers, and arms dealers. The Syrian Interior Ministry also announced the arrest of “remnant elements and members of a gang involved in the theft of weapons from a warehouse in the Mazraa project area of Damascus.”

Meanwhile, the General Security Directorate released several former regime elements in Damascus after verifying their lack of involvement in violations against the Syrian people. According to local sources cited by Syrian Television, several conscripts detained in Adra Prison in Damascus were freed on Tuesday, with additional releases expected in the coming days.

Last week, the General Security Directorate released 360 detainees, including former regime officers, out of approximately 800 people arrested as part of the Homs security campaign. Following investigations, the authorities confirmed that those individuals were not in possession of weapons and had pledged not to engage in activities against the new Syrian administration.