By Al-Fassel | 2025-02-19

Yemen is poised between reestablishing itself as "a free and independent homeland" and becoming a vassal of the Islamic Republic as it enters "one of the most serious stages in its modern history," a government minister said.

The country is facing not merely a military battle, Yemen's Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani said in a February 9 post on X, "but a battle of existence and identity."

It is "a battle between authentic Yemen and an alien sectarian scheme that seeks to uproot the identity, history and future of the Yemenis" that is being executed by Iran's proxies, the Houthis, he said.

The Iranian regime sees "Yemenis as nothing but fuel for its expansionist project and sectarian wars," he warned, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Yemen that is fueled by the actions of the Houthis.

The Houthis receive funding, training and arms from the Iranian regime.

Fresh evidence of this partnership came to light February 12, when Yemen's coast guard interdicted a vessel in the southern Red Sea carrying advanced Iranian military equipment bound for Houthi-controlled al-Hodeidah port.

The vessel was transporting cruise missile components, drone engines, reconnaissance aircraft, marine radars and modern jamming systems, according to the US military.

Humanitarian toll

Meanwhile, the Houthis have continued to target civilians, actions that have brought devastating consequences to the wider population.

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres on February 12 described the recent death of a World Food Program (WFP) staff member in Houthi detention as a "deplorable tragedy."

The Yemeni national, a father of two who had worked for the UN since 2017, had been arbitrarily detained since January 23, AFP reported. The death prompted the UN to suspend humanitarian operations in Houthi-controlled Saada.

The Houthis have targeted dozens of aid workers since mid-2024, and in January alone detained eight UN staffers, including six in Saada.

Rased Organization for Rights and Freedoms head Arafat Humran said the rights group has documented 203 deaths from torture in Houthi prisons, Al-Hadath news channel reported February 9.

"Yemenis are being killed every day not only by ballistic missiles, drones, sniper bullets, and mines, but also by starvation, displacement, killing of their dreams, and confiscating their right to life," al-Eryani said on X.

He urged the people of Yemen to unite behind the Presidential Command Council, led by Rashad al-Alimi, to achieve the "non-negotiable" goal of restoring Yemen's sovereignty and "cutting off the hand" of the Iranian regime.