The Houthi group has made surprise changes to the leadership of two military regions, as the Yemeni armed forces step up strikes against high-value Houthi targets, according to a Yemeni military source who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.
According to the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, the changes included the commanders of the Third and Seventh Military Regions. He said the move reflects growing doubts within the group over the loyalty and competence of some of its leaders, amid intensifying government strikes, particularly those involving drones.
“Over the past few days, the group replaced the commanders of the Third and Seventh Military Regions with two longtime leaders considered among its closest loyalists in Saada,” the source said.
Restructuring on the Ground
The source, who is close to developments on the ground, said the reinforcements the group has sent to the fronts over the past 20 days have been accompanied by a broad reshuffling of field commanders. He noted that about 90 percent of commanders of subordinate units, at the company and battalion levels, were selected from ideological leaders, most of whom are from Saada Governorate.
The source attributed these moves to a “state of confusion and suspicion” within the group, saying they are no longer limited to tribal leaders or newly recruited members but have extended to senior leadership levels, including figures belonging to the social and sectarian circles closest to the group.
He added that the group’s confidence in tribal leaders “has fallen to its lowest levels,” prompting it to replace a number of field commanders with figures more closely tied to its central leadership.
Factional Rivalries
The source linked some of the internal tensions to the growing influence of Ali Hussein Al-Houthi, the son of the group’s founder, saying his rise has caused noticeable divisions among senior leaders.
He pointed to disputes that have strained relations between Ali Hussein Al-Houthi and several prominent figures, including Abdul Hakim Al-Khaiwani, head of the group’s security and intelligence service, military commander “Abu Ali Al-Hakim,” and Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of what the group calls the “Supreme Political Council.”
Yemeni sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat said representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are seeking to contain the growing divisions among the group’s factions and prevent them from affecting its military and security cohesion, particularly as it faces mounting military and societal pressures.
Asharq Al-Awsat published a report in August 2025 on the growing intelligence role of the group founder’s son, who had come to oversee most of the group’s agencies and institutions, including the Foreign Ministry in the Houthi-controlled government, relying on the strong support provided to him by his uncle, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, the group’s current leader.
Security and political sources in Houthi-controlled areas said at the time that Ali Hussein Al-Houthi’s intelligence and repressive role had expanded significantly during the first months of 2025. He had been granted the rank of major general in the security services, and a special intelligence agency had been established for him under the name “Police Intelligence Service.”
Discontent Over Dhamar Arrests
In the same context, the military source said a new security agency linked to Ali Hussein Al-Houthi recently carried out a campaign of arrests that targeted about 70 figures from Dhamar Governorate at once, sparking widespread discontent among local communities.
“The available information confirms that a large part of the arrests and moves linked to the internal disputes are no longer being carried out by the Houthi security and intelligence service, but by a new security body,” the source said, referring to the agency he said is run by Ali Hussein Al-Houthi.
These developments come as the group faces mounting military pressure on several fronts, amid indications that it is moving to tighten its security grip and reorganize its leadership structure in anticipation of any potential breaches or shifts in the course of the fighting.
