Terrorism

Houthi leaders flee Sanaa in buses, abandoning Yemeni civilians

Senior Houthi officials have retreated to safe havens amid an ongoing US air campaign against the group, leaving civilians exposed to danger.

Men on a motorcycle ride past buses with tinted windows in Sanaa on March 16, 2022. [Mohammed Huwais/AFP]
Men on a motorcycle ride past buses with tinted windows in Sanaa on March 16, 2022. [Mohammed Huwais/AFP]

By Faisal Abu Bakr |

ADEN -- As a US air campaign continues to target the Iran-backed Houthis' weapons facilities, the group's leadership has quietly left the areas that are most vulnerable to strikes, leaving the local population to take the heat.

Senior Houthi officials and their families evacuated Sanaa in tinted-window buses, with some retreating to mountainous areas in the north and others seeking refuge in safer areas nearby, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"The escalation of US strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen has prompted senior Houthi officials to leave the [former] Yemeni capital to the countryside in anticipation of further raids," political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

"This relocation reveals the Houthi leaders' concern over US strikes and their weakness and inability to confront these strikes, which aim to degrade their military capabilities and diminish their regional influence," he said.

"The Houthis are prepared to do anything to protect themselves, even if it comes at the expense of regional stability and the security of the international community."

Several families of prominent Houthi figures, including political and military leaders, have secretly fled to Oman, al-Awal news website said in an exclusive report April 4, citing "trusted sources."

The exodus reflects "deep anxiety among Houthi leadership" as strikes hit key command positions, said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the human rights office in Sanaa.

"This targeting has begun to affect sensitive leadership positions within the group's structure, and this withdrawal is indicative of the militia's lack of confidence in its ability to protect its vital sites," he told Al-Fassel.

Human shields

Though they have left Sanaa -- and even, in some cases, Yemen -- the absent Houthi leaders continue to direct attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes, leaving Yemeni civilians vulnerable to reprisals.

It is particularly alarming that Houthi commanders are orchestrating Red Sea attacks from safe locations, while using civilian populations as "human shields" in clear violation of international humanitarian law, al-Zubairi said.

"This underscores the extent of this group's disregard for civilian life," he said.

The group's actions reveal it has become "a tool in the hands of regional parties to threaten international navigation and regional security," he said, noting that it is abandoning its claims of representing Yemeni interests.

"As Houthi leaders secure their sanctuaries in the mountains or outside the country, the most vulnerable segments of the population are left exposed, which reveals the stark contradiction between the group's rhetoric and actions."

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Your news is not reliable

Everything is fine

Making the issue easier

Is it possible to have the stream snipe program?

Liars, if the bombing was useful, it would have benefited the Saudis and Emiratis, who bombed with more than three hundred thousand strikes.

May God protect them

May the curse of God, the angels, and all people be upon you. I am a Yemeni woman from the south, and I live in the north of Yemen. You are despicable liars. None of this has acually happened, and it is enough for us to be proud that we are defending Gaza. Unfortunately, there isn't enough room to write here. Damn you.

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May Allah punish them with the sword of His vengeance. They have tired us out. ’May Allah send them behind the sun. They usurped our salaries. No matter how much we talk to them, from their leaders to their elements, they do not acknowledge us. They are swindlers and practice nothing but swindling and defrauding the rights of the Yemeni citizen.

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