Yemen's internationally recognized government has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah of deploying 21 military experts to directly assist the Houthi rebels in planning and executing operations within the war-torn nation.

Interior Minister Major-General Ibrahim Haidan stated on Tuesday that the deployment signifies a shift in foreign involvement, moving beyond financial and logistical support to direct supervision and participation in military activities. This accusation comes amid ongoing battles between government forces and the Houthis in several provinces.

The Yemeni Interior Ministry detailed that 14 of the alleged experts are from the IRGC and seven are from Hezbollah. These individuals are reportedly stationed across key Houthi-controlled areas, including Hodeidah, Sanaa, Saada, Hajjah, Amran, and the coastal city of Khokha.

Minister Haidan warned that the presence and activities of these experts, particularly in areas like command and control, ballistic missiles, drones, and naval operations, pose a significant threat to shipping in the vital Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea. He also expressed concern about the potential transfer of military expertise to other armed groups.

The government has long alleged Iranian support for the Houthis, a claim that Tehran has consistently denied, maintaining that the Houthi movement acts independently. Similarly, Hezbollah has previously rejected any involvement in Yemen's conflict, despite the Houthis acknowledging their alliance with Iran.

This latest accusation highlights the escalating complexity of the Yemeni conflict, which has seen renewed fighting after a relative lull brought by a 2022 ceasefire. The civil war originally erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, leading to Saudi Arabia's intervention in 2015 to support the government.

According to the Interior Ministry's statement, the experts' specializations include electronic warfare, smuggling military components, coordinating naval operations and targeting commercial ships, developing explosive-laden boats and autonomous submarines, and training fighters in mine-laying and siege tactics. The government's allegations suggest a deepening of foreign technical and operational involvement with the Houthi forces.

In response to these accusations, Minister Haidan urged the international community to designate the Houthis as a "terrorist" organization, dismantle their financing and arms networks, and rigorously enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2624, which mandate an arms embargo against the group.