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Measles, Smallpox on the Rise in Houthi-Controlled Areas

A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)
A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)
    Aden - Mohammed Nasser
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Measles, Smallpox on the Rise in Houthi-Controlled Areas

A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)
A child receives a vaccine against polio (United Nations)

Yemeni medical sources in Houthi-controlled areas warned on Saturday of a health catastrophe facing the country as the militias continue to prevent vaccinations for deadly childhood diseases.

The sources said that medical facilities, including in Sanaa, recorded hundreds of polio, measles, and smallpox cases.

Medical sources in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that several epidemic diseases that Yemen eradicated have re-emerged.

Estimates of medical sources indicate that thousands of children are infected with these diseases, which can be prevented with vaccines.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated that last December, 15 children died from measles, and around 1,400 children in seven Yemeni provinces, including the southern Aden province, "were suspected of having measles" in the period between January and July.

The Houthi Ministry of Health recorded more than 18,000 cases of measles during the past year, as 131 children died.

Three doctors in the Houthi-controlled areas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the country is on the verge of a health disaster if the militias continue to prevent vaccinations and portray them as a Western conspiracy in schools, mosques, and their media.

The sources said that the militia leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, participated in the campaign targeting vaccines and claimed that the US and its supporters spread the diseases and various viruses. He also claimed they sell unsafe medicines and vaccines, which cause health complications.

Houthi Minister of Health, Taha al-Mutawakel, said the vaccine is not mandatory and that whoever insists on requesting vaccines must bear responsibility.

The Yemeni Ministry of Health in the internationally recognized government denounced sponsoring such myths, warning that it threatens children's future. It warned that such claims undermine the safety of Yemenis and the lives and future of their children.

The International President of Doctors without Borders, Christos Christou, confirmed that Yemen is witnessing a rise in the rates of preventable diseases.

During his visit to a hospital in Makha, Christou noted that patients needing care are having difficulty accessing services due to insecurity.

He noted an increase in preventable diseases, and a growing challenge for people in accessing health care.

The official pledged that these issues would be at the heart of his talks with the authorities in the country.

Christo warned that insecurity makes access difficult for patients needing care and humanitarian organizations, calling for the protection of medical facilities, ambulances, healthcare workers, patients, and their caregivers.

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Arab World

Israel Tracks Hezbollah’s Cash Vaults from Damascus to Dahiyeh and Sidon

Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP
Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP
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Israel Tracks Hezbollah’s Cash Vaults from Damascus to Dahiyeh and Sidon

Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP
Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP

Israel is expanding its campaign to dismantle Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure, targeting suspected cash storage sites from the Syrian capital Damascus to the Beirut southern suburb of Dahiyeh and the coastal city of Sidon.

Israel’s rare announcement this week of a strike targeting a Lebanese money changer it accused of transferring funds to Hezbollah marks a sharp escalation in its efforts to dismantle the group’s financial networks, a campaign that first surfaced in Syria in 2020 and intensified during its latest military offensive in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israel said it had struck Haitham Bakri, a money changer in southern Lebanon, claiming he had facilitated financial transactions for Hezbollah. The move comes amid a wider Israeli push to cripple the group’s access to cash, which has included targeting buildings believed to store Hezbollah funds, notably in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israeli military statements have typically focused on military targets. But this week’s public naming of Bakri — along with disclosures about other money changers allegedly assisting Hezbollah — represents a rare departure from the norm. Previous Israeli claims of targeting financial hubs were often dismissed by locals until the latest war provided fresh evidence, with several sites connected to Hezbollah’s cash reserves coming under fire.

Hezbollah, which is under US sanctions and designated a terrorist group by Washington, has relied almost exclusively on cash-based transactions since 2011, when Lebanese banks began shutting out individuals suspected of ties to the movement.

Financial sources told Asharq al-Awsat that the Israeli pressure campaign complements broader international efforts to sever Hezbollah’s funding channels — including tighter security at Beirut’s airport and the closure of smuggling routes to Syria.

In January, Hezbollah members cordoned off a bombed building in the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik during debris removal operations, according to local sources. Witnesses said they saw “what was left of iron safes” being pulled from the wreckage.

No residents claimed ownership of the items retrieved, raising suspicions that the contents — believed to include large sums of money — belonged to Hezbollah.

That incident was not isolated. Residents in southern Beirut say they witnessed similar scenes after Israeli airstrikes, including burned US $100 bills scattered across the ruins of a building in the Mreijeh district. One local told Asharq al-Awsat he could not confirm whether the cash belonged to Hezbollah or to tenants of the targeted building.

Further south, residents of a village in Nabatieh district reported finding scorched money after an Israeli strike destroyed a home. During the same period, Lebanese media reported that a Hezbollah operative responsible for salary transfers was killed in northern Lebanon.

Following months of ambiguity surrounding Hezbollah’s financial network — most notably the discovery of money changer Mohammad Srour’s tortured body in Lebanon’s Mount Lebanon district in April — Israel has launched a new phase of strikes aimed at what it claims are funding channels for the Iran-backed group.

This latest move expands the scope of Israeli targeting to include four Lebanese money exchange companies allegedly linked to Hezbollah, according to the Israeli military. The move risks further damaging the reputation of Lebanon’s financial sector, already battered by years of economic collapse and corruption.

“This poses a direct threat to the credibility of the currency exchange sector,” said economist and university professor Pierre Khoury. He told Asharq al-Awsat that Lebanon urgently needs to implement financial reforms to strip Israel of its stated justifications.

“Israeli attacks are completely illegal under any pretext, as they violate the sovereignty of a nation,” Khoury said. “But the Lebanese government must eliminate any pretext by enforcing financial governance and transparency. If it does so, any future Israeli attacks will be without justification.”

Khoury pointed to international reports that say Lebanese financial institutions — including banks — are still not fully compliant with global anti-money laundering standards.

“The state must take serious steps to ensure financial transparency through capable institutions,” he added. “Only then can Lebanon shed its image as a haven for political financing and money laundering.”