Houthis Implement New Method to Monitor, Suppress Residents

Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen (file photo: Reuters)
Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen (file photo: Reuters)
TT
20

Houthis Implement New Method to Monitor, Suppress Residents

Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen (file photo: Reuters)
Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen (file photo: Reuters)

Houthi leaders in Sanaa established a new security formation named "community committees" to monitor the population and repress personal freedoms.

According to militia media sources, the group's leaders in Sanaa held several meetings with residential and neighborhood supervisors and officials in ten districts.

They formed the so-called "community committees," which include four to five committees in each directorate to supervise campaigns of repression and restrictions on freedoms.

According to the Houthi Saba Agency, leader Khaled al-Madani urged members of local councils, authorities, and directors of security departments to provide all facilities and support to the committees to ensure the success of the "soft war."

Madani, the supervisor in charge of Sanaa, said that the program would include closing stores that display advertisements with women and tightening control over cafes, restaurants, parks, institutes, and universities to prevent mixing between the genders.

The coup leader considered the campaigns against Sanaa residents as part of the group's inauguration of the program's second phase to boost the "faith march."

- Intensive mobilization activities

Well-informed sources in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi militias are preparing about 5,000 workshops, events, and lectures targeting students in the primary and secondary stages.

The group launched the first phase of the same program targeting students of public and private schools in Sanaa under the supervision of its members in education, youth, and endowments.

The sources pointed out that the first stage witnessed more than 1,000 workshops and sectarian activities that targeted young people and children in all schools and orphanages in Sanaa and its countryside.

Yemenis are increasingly concerned about hardline Houthi ideologies and practices, and Sanaa residents fear that these violations will turn Yemen into a prison where the group imposes its ideas.

The residents of several areas under Houthi control previously complained to Asharq Al-Awsat about the militias' restrictions on their freedoms, noting that they introduce a new fad each time to tighten the measures more.

B.W., an employee in the education sector, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias are not much different from what extremist terrorist groups do.

- Abusive campaigns

During the past year, the Houthi militia launched campaigns against residents in its areas as part of its repressive and extremist measures.

They targeted women working in aid organizations, preventing activities that include mixing between males and females participate.

They also halted weddings and university graduation ceremonies because they encouraged mixing between genders.

The militants launched a campaign targeting women's clothing stores in Sanaa early last year, claiming they violated "faith values."

Owners of clothing stores complained about the return of Houthi raids, and some of them confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the incursions were sudden, as if they were raiding drug dens and not shops selling clothes.

They pointed out that the group ordered several shop owners to pay sums, while many were forced to pledge not to use the display models and mannequins again.



Syrian Army Takes Control of Tishrin Dam from SDF

Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)
Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)
TT
20

Syrian Army Takes Control of Tishrin Dam from SDF

Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)
Syria's Tishrin Dam. (File photo)

Syrian army troops have deployed near the Tishrin Dam in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province, setting up military positions in what appears to be a step toward assuming control of the facility from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Pro-government broadcaster Syria TV cited an official source on Monday as saying the military had entered the outskirts of the Tishrin Dam area and established military outposts in preparation for a handover of the strategic site.

The dam, located near the city of Manbij, has been under the control of the Kurdish-led SDF, which played a key role in the fight against ISIS in northern Syria with the backing of the US-led coalition.

Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement on March 10 aimed at integrating all civil and military institutions of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northern and northeastern Syria into the Syrian state.

Syrian authorities, the SDF, and Türkiye had reached an agreement, brokered by the United States, for the transfer of the Tishrin Dam to the Syrian government.

Under the deal, the military will deploy forces around the dam, while teams from Damascus have already begun maintenance and upgrading works on the facility.

The agreement aims to bring an end to the fighting that had erupted between Syrian factions loyal to Türkiye, which have integrated into the Syrian army, and the SDF. The clashes, which had persisted for over three months since December 12, have now subsided.

On Thursday, Türkiye’s Ministry of Defense announced that Ankara is closely monitoring the implementation of the agreement regarding the handover of the dam.

The deployment of Syrian forces around the dam comes amid reports of renewed tensions in the area, which had been relatively calm for nearly a month. Syria’s state-run Syria TV reported that the military had sent reinforcements to areas previously affected by clashes with the SDF.

Additionally, reports said the SDF and Syrian forces were on alert after Turkish drones launched an attack near the dam, following the death of a fighter from Türkiye-backed factions in the region. The situation continues to evolve as both sides remain on edge in the strategic area.