By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-05-11

ADEN -- A violent power struggle that has been brewing between top Houthi commanders recently came to a head, revealing deep fractures within the group, according to multiple sources.

The growing friction sparked clashes between the forces of Houthi security commander Yahya al-Razami and those of Abu Ali al-Hakim, who heads the group's preventive security force.

On April 11, al-Hakim's forces abducted two of al-Razami's associates.

Hours later, al-Razami's gunmen engaged in a shootout with al-Hakim's forces in a Sanaa neighborhood, leading to three deaths among al-Hakim's followers and the successful rescue of the kidnapped men, Al-Mashad al-Yemeni reported.

As trust collapses within the group's ranks, some prominent Houthi leaders have fled Sanaa with their families to safer areas, investigative journalist Adnan al-Ameri said on X.

The divisions are no longer limited to ideological or organizational differences but have extended to a loss of trust among the leaders themselves, he said.

Multiple leaders have abandoned their positions and are seeking safe exits from territories they have controlled for years, al-Ameri added.

Deep-rooted rivalries

The internal divisions stem from three main fault lines, political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel.

"The disagreements run deep between the Hashemites of Saada and the Hashemites of Sanaa," he said.

"The Saada faction, which takes orders directly from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and receives training in Iran, believes their sacrifices since the movement's inception give them the right to command in all fields."

"Meanwhile, Sanaa's Hashemites claim their support was crucial for the group's takeover of the capital and state institutions."

A third conflict brews "between Hashemites in general, including Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and the tribal branch of the group, which does not belong to the al-Houthi family," Ahmed said.

"This branch's most prominent leader is al-Razami, while al-Hakim hails from the Saada's Hashemites."

Intensifying crisis

The internal crisis intensified with the arrest of Abdul Qader al-Shami, the Houthi deputy intelligence director and a member of the al-Houthi family, on suspicion of betrayal, Ahmed said.

This marked "the highest level of conflict and collapse of trust among Houthi leaders," he explained.

"The struggle over resources has had a significant impact on disputes between leaders, especially among civilian officials controlling revenue-generating institutions," economist Abdul Aziz Thabet told Al-Fassel.

These tensions have left Houthi leaders "in a state of tension and confusion," with "calls emerging among the leadership to be wary of one another," he said.

These divisions "could be the beginning of the end for this group if international and local pressure continues to escalate," lawyer Mohammed al-Masouri said.