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Houthis Replace Tens of Thousands of Teachers with Militants

Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)
Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)
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Houthis Replace Tens of Thousands of Teachers with Militants

Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)
Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)

Yemeni sources in Sanaa have revealed that Houthi militias have replaced up to 36,000 of their sectarian members instead of teachers who fled oppression in areas under their control, or sought employment in other professions, as their salaries have been withheld for the past 7 years.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias are replacing about 20,000 other public employees, mostly teachers, before agreeing with the legitimate government on a mechanism for paying employees' salaries.
 

They indicated that the so-called educational office of the Houthi leadership supervised the appointment of two batches of its members, about 35,000, over the past two years.

It placed them in public schools, claiming to cover staff shortages after thousands of teachers fled the group's control areas for fear of repression. While others resorted to different professions to provide for themselves and their families after salaries were cut.

According to these sources, the office is seeking to install a new batch of about 30,000 so-called volunteers instead of a new set of teacher

-Terrorizing teachers

The move aims to intimidate teachers on strike for the second month, as they were threatened with being laid off.

An internal report of the so-called education committee quoted the leadership of the Ministry of Education in the unrecognized government as saying that most of the teaching staff had returned to work after the first payment of the monthly incentive by the Teacher's Fund.

However, after the disbursement stopped, the teachers left their schools, especially since the coup ministry continued to pay for its volunteers.

This confirms that the goal is to force the educational staff to leave the schools and replace them with Houthi elements, according to three sources in the education sector in Sanaa. ‏

-State revenues to support sectarianism

The Deputy Education Minister in the coup government, Khaled Jedar, said monthly incentives to teachers from the revenues of the Teacher Fund were halted because of a lack of payments.

Jedar said that the monthly need to cover the disbursement of incentives exceeds YR7 billion, although he announced last month the ministry intends to pay teachers incentives for three consecutive months.

Local sources in Sanaa said the Houthi official failed to respond to the questions of members of the so-called House of Representatives about the ministry’s ability to pay the salaries of top officials. At the same time, teachers are deprived of their wages

The Yemeni government says the Houthi militia gets about YR1.4 trillion per year from tax and customs revenues only

According to educational sources, the Houthi government seized about YR1 billion from the revenues of the Skills Development Fund for the coup Ministry of Education to cover the expenses of elementary and secondary exams.

The group also imposed annual fees on students in public schools for the “community contribution” at the rate of $15 per student, which caused the deprivation of thousands of students from education.

Families cannot pay these sums in light of the deteriorating economic situation, where 70 percent of the population depends on aid provided by relief organizations.

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Arab World

Israeli Raid in the West Bank Leaves 1 Palestinian Dead and 4 Wounded

Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
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Israeli Raid in the West Bank Leaves 1 Palestinian Dead and 4 Wounded

Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

One Palestinian man was killed and four others seriously wounded during an Israeli military raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the man’s wife was in labor at a local hospital when she was informed of his death.

The Red Crescent said five people were hit by gunfire during an Israeli military operation. Nayef Firas Ziad Samaro, 26, was killed, according to the Health Ministry, and his body was brought to the hospital where his wife was giving birth. Additionally, a 12-year-old was shot in the shoulder, according to the Red Crescent, The AP news reported.

The raid took place as schools were letting out for the day, in an area crowded with civilians, witnesses said.

Israel's military in a statement said it responded to a confrontation in the Nablus area in which several “terrorists” threw rocks toward soldiers. Soldiers fired and “several hits were identified.”

Palestinians, rights groups and international observers are warning about the worsening violence, where young Palestinian men are being killed with increasing regularity amid a broader climate of arson, vandalism and the displacement of farming communities near Jewish settlements and outposts in the West Bank.

At least 42 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, according to the United Nations humanitarian office. Armed settlers were responsible for at least 11 of those fatalities.

Arab World

Yemen’s Workers Face Harsh Unemployment and Unrelenting Hardship

A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Yemen’s Workers Face Harsh Unemployment and Unrelenting Hardship

A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
A person (L) buys snacks from a mobile cart in Sanaa, Yemen, 27 April 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

As the world marks International Workers’ Day on May 1 each year, workers in Yemen have, for years following the Houthi coup and ensuing war, faced a starkly different reality marked by daily hardship and a struggle for survival amid economic and humanitarian conditions among the worst globally.

Workers in Sanaa and other cities told Asharq Al-Awsat that the day is no longer an occasion to celebrate professional achievements or press for improved rights. Instead, it has become a moment to reflect on the scale of the challenges they face, from widespread unemployment to declining wages and the absence of social protection.

Some said their conditions, and those of their families, have continued to deteriorate for a twelfth consecutive year, as they struggle daily to secure basic needs amid rising prices, scarce job opportunities, and a lack of even minimal services. They noted that wages in remaining sectors such as construction, transport, and other freelance work no longer match the effort required or the cost of basic living.

As workers called on relevant authorities and international organizations to intervene to ease their suffering, sources within the labor union federation under Houthi control in Sanaa said the occasion comes this year as more than one million Yemeni public sector employees, supporting hundreds of thousands of families, continue to endure harsh conditions, alongside 8 million daily wage workers now living below the poverty line as a result of the coup and ongoing conflict.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi group continues to deepen the suffering of millions of daily wage workers in areas under its control through policies of systematic corruption targeting what remains of the economic sector.

Struggle for Survival

“Mahmoud,” a construction worker in Sanaa, said: “We do not celebrate Workers’ Day like people in other countries. We live it as just another day of struggling to earn a living.” Mahmoud, a father of three, works long hours for meager pay that does not cover even his children’s basic needs. “We go out every day looking for work and may return with nothing. Life has become very harsh,” he said.

“Essam N.,” a pseudonym for a taxi driver, described his situation: “Fuel prices keep rising while our income is declining. I work long hours and still cannot cover expenses. Sometimes I think about leaving the job, but there is no alternative.”

He said he has worked in the profession for more than 10 years but has never experienced conditions as severe as those today.

Abdullah, 39, a street vendor in the Bab al-Yemen area of Sanaa, said: “We used to sell and earn reasonably well years ago, but now people can barely buy anything. Everyone is suffering, not just us.”

These accounts reflect a grim reality facing thousands of workers in Yemen, where daily hardship intersects with a lack of prospects amid a deepening crisis that has exhausted all, alongside ongoing calls to improve workers’ conditions and guarantee their basic rights.

Deep Crisis

Economic specialists say the crisis facing workers in Yemen is no longer a temporary reflection of war, but has become a deep structural crisis. They say the continued decline in economic activity, weak investment, and the division of financial institutions are all factors exacerbating unemployment and limiting the market’s ability to recover.

According to data from ESCWA, Yemen is classified among low-income countries with a fragile economy, directly affecting job creation and widening poverty.

Economists say the continuation of the war and the decline in economic activity have worsened workers’ suffering, with many projects halted, job opportunities shrinking, and unemployment rising, particularly among youth. They warn that the persistence of this situation could expand poverty and deepen reliance on the informal economy.

In parallel, unofficial estimates indicate unemployment rates have risen to unprecedented levels, especially among young people, with thousands finding themselves outside the labor market without real opportunities. With many productive and service sectors halted due to years of conflict, employment opportunities have sharply contracted, pushing many toward temporary or unstable work.

The World Bank said in its reports on Yemen that about one in six working-age individuals is unemployed. The outlook is bleaker for youth unemployment, which the International Labour Organization estimates exceeds 25 percent across the Arab region, and is expected to be higher in Yemen given the ongoing conflict and the contraction in economic activity.

Arab World

Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon after New Evacuation Warning

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)
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Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon after New Evacuation Warning

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, on May 3, 2026. I(Photo by AFP)

Israel carried out heavy airstrikes in south Lebanon on Sunday after issuing new evacuation warnings for villages beyond the area it occupies, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt fighting with Hezbollah.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 meters into open areas," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns including several in the district of Nabatieh, which lies north of the Litani River, south of which Israel has stationed troops.

Israeli military chief of staff Eyal Zamir has threatened to strike Hezbollah "beyond the yellow line.”

"Any threat, anywhere, against our communities or our forces -- including beyond the yellow line and north of the Litani -- will be eliminated," he said during a visit to Israeli troops this week.

The Israeli military said Sunday it was conducting operations against Hezbollah following what it described ⁠as a violation of their April 17 ceasefire agreement, warning that anyone near Hezbollah fighters or facilities could be at risk.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency later reported a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including on towns not mentioned in the evacuation warning.

Hezbollah, has kept up its drone and rocket attacks against Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israel.

It has recently begun using cheap drones controlled by fiber-optic cable, making them largely immune to electronic jamming, to conduct daily attacks.

These drones have a range of several dozen kilometers, which puts Israeli troops in Lebanon and communities in northern Israel under threat.