Yemeni Military Court Sentences 174 Houthi Leaders to Death, Including Abdul-Malik al-Houthi

Armed members of the Houthi movement visit the grave of Houthi senior official Saleh al-Sammad at al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa, Yemen, on January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Armed members of the Houthi movement visit the grave of Houthi senior official Saleh al-Sammad at al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa, Yemen, on January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
TT

Yemeni Military Court Sentences 174 Houthi Leaders to Death, Including Abdul-Malik al-Houthi

Armed members of the Houthi movement visit the grave of Houthi senior official Saleh al-Sammad at al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa, Yemen, on January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Armed members of the Houthi movement visit the grave of Houthi senior official Saleh al-Sammad at al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa, Yemen, on January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

A military court affiliated with the internationally recognized Yemeni government on Wednesday sentenced the leader of the Houthi group, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, and 173 other Houthi leaders to death.

The sentence, issued by a martial court in the northeastern governorate of Marib, also included Iran’s Revolutionary Guards leader Hassan Eyrlou, who is currently serving as Tehran’s ambassador to the Houthi self-proclaimed government in Sanaa.

The court also decided to classify the “Houthi group” as a criminal terrorist organization, ban its activities, disband and confiscate all its property, and remove all weapons, ammunition, and military equipment from it and hand it over to the Ministry of Defense.”

According to the court ruling, those sentenced to death would be executed by a firing squad.

The court also confiscated their money for involvement in the military coup against the regime and the legitimate and constitutional authorities, collaborating with Iran, and committing military and war crimes.

More so, the court called on the official government to develop a national strategy to eliminate all discrimination between Yemenis on the grounds of race, sect, color, or origin.

The court further decided that Iran would be prosecuted before the International Criminal Justice for its involvement in the militia’s crimes.

In July, a court in Marib held the initial session of the trial of Houthi leaders accused of masterminding the coup against the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015 and the subsequent military campaign.

At the moment, Houthis are spearheading a new recruitment campaign among Sanaa tribes to replenish their ranks after having incurring heavy losses in battles in Marib.

During the past week, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group’s leaders in the tribal and rural districts surrounding the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, held several meetings with tribal leaders to urge additional recruitment.



Israeli Strike in Syria Kills 5 Soldiers

People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
TT

Israeli Strike in Syria Kills 5 Soldiers

People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

An overnight Israeli airstrike on a military site in the area of Kfar Yabous in Syria near the border with Lebanon killed five Syrian army soldiers and injured another, Syrian state news agency SANA reported Friday, citing an unnamed military official.

Israel's military did not immediately acknowledge the strike. Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria and facilities linked to Iran and the Lebanon’s Hezbollah but rarely acknowledges them.

Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians have fled across the border from Lebanon into Syria since the beginning of the week amid intense Israeli bombardment that Israel says is targeting Hezbollah fighters and weapons. The strikes have killed an estimated 700 people to date, including at least 150 women and children.