By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-05-09

ADEN -- Houthi leaders hid behind forged documents and inside tunnel networks while moving their military infrastructure into residential areas during a US air campaign that began in mid-March and continued until a ceasefire agreement was announced on May 7.

Houthi leaders used forged IDs to rent homes outside their Saada province stronghold, after being turned away by landlords who feared their properties could become military targets, Al-Mashhad al-Yemeni reported.

"Houthi leaders have faced increasing difficulties in renting houses or staying in hotels or residential apartments, as they are now viewed as internationally wanted figures," the outlet reported April 17.

"This has pushed them to search for safe havens through devious means."

The Iran-backed group removed 30 surveillance cameras from Sanaa streets, including in the diplomatic quarter and along Sakhr and Ring Roads, local sources told Al-Ain News.

It banned businesses from connecting security cameras to internet-enabled devices, they said, noting that the group is "living in a state of panic and maximum security alert."

The move appeared to reflect concerns about US intelligence capabilities.

The US strikes forced Houthi leaders into hiding, political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

They also compromised communication networks established by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that the Houthis relied on, he said.

Endangering civilians

The Houthis dismantled military communications systems from main towers in al-Hodeidah and from near security and intelligence buildings, according to local witnesses.

The group reportedly prepared to switch to more secretive mobile systems less dependent on fixed towers, including short-range communication networks.

Dismantling their own communications infrastructure reflected "the group's state of weakness and fear," Abaad Center for Strategic Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

It otherwise made no sense, he said, "as the loss of these networks severely impacts their command and control capabilities."

The US air campaign deeply shook the group's leadership and could lead to "the collapse of their structure," Mohammed said.

This vulnerability also is eroding their social base, he said.

The Houthis dug elaborate tunnel networks connecting their known properties to secretly rented civilian homes.

The group's leaders entered the private homes, then moved underground to hidden meeting sites while the civilians above remained at risk, Mohammed said.

"This operational pattern endangers civilians and constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law," political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

He added that disrupting communications infrastructure deepens civilian suffering and erodes their right to safety and essential services.