Houthis reportedly replace commanders of two military regions in Yemen
Yemen’s Houthi movement has replaced the commanders of the Third and Seventh military regions amid intensified strikes by government forces on key targets of the group. This was reported by Asharq Al-Awsat, citing an unnamed Yemeni military source.
According to the publication’s interlocutor, over the past few days the commanders of these regions were replaced by two longtime movement leaders considered close supporters of it in Saada. The source linked the personnel changes to growing doubts about the loyalty and competence of certain leaders, particularly amid drone strikes.
Changes among field commanders
The source claims that over the past 20 days, the deployment of reinforcements to the front has been accompanied by large-scale reshuffles among field commanders. In its assessment, around 90% of company- and battalion-level unit commanders were selected from among ideological leaders, most of whom come from Saada province.
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The Asharq Al-Awsat interlocutor said distrust and suspicion within the group have intensified. According to him, this concerns not only tribal leaders and recruits but also the top leadership. He also claims that the Houthis’ trust in tribal commanders has declined significantly, so some field leaders are being replaced by people more closely connected to the movement’s central leadership.
Internal disputes and arrests
The source linked tensions within the Houthi leadership to the growing influence of Ali Hussein al-Houthi, the son of the movement’s founder. According to him, this has caused disagreements between him and several influential figures, including the head of the security and intelligence service, Abdel Hakim al-Khaiwani, military commander Abu Ali al-Hakim, and Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the so-called Supreme Political Council.
Yemeni sources cited by the publication also said that representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are trying to contain disputes between Houthi factions so that they do not affect the movement’s military and security cohesion. Separately, a military source reported that a new security body linked to Ali Hussein al-Houthi conducted an arrest campaign involving around 70 figures from Dhamar province. He claims this caused discontent among local communities.
