Aden (South24 Center)

---

Yemen’s Interior Ministry said on Monday (October 12) that it had arrested several cells linked to the Houthi militia in Aden and the governorates of Lahj and Abyan. The cells were planning to target security and military leaders, military reinforcements, and supply lines, the ministry said.

The announcement was made at a joint news conference in Aden attended by the interior minister and the governors of Aden and Lahj.

Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan said security forces had arrested the cells in September and that investigations had uncovered plans to incite chaos and undermine security in areas under government control.

According to Haidan, investigations showed that cell members had received training in Houthi-controlled areas, including Saada, Dhamar, and al-Hawban in Taiz, in planting improvised explosive devices and car bombs and carrying out commando-style attacks.

He also accused the Houthis of exploiting telecommunications and internet networks for surveillance and intelligence gathering. He alleged that experts from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah had supervised the training of the cell members.

The ministry said the latest network arrested in Lahj comprised 18 people, who were apprehended on September 26. It accused two figures linked to the Houthis, Amjad Khalid Farhan and Ahmed Jreib, of overseeing the network.

Mohammed Mosaed al-Ameer, the Interior Ministry’s undersecretary for security and police affairs, said the network had planned to target security and military leaders in Aden and Lahj, as well as convoys and supply lines heading to the Bab al-Mandab and Subaiha fronts.

He said the network was divided into two groups. The first conducted surveillance and reconnaissance, while the second was tasked with carrying out bombings and planting explosives near the workplaces and homes of the intended targets.

Al-Ameer added that security forces in Lahj had also arrested a women’s cell on September 22. The ministry said the cell had been tasked with surveillance, tracking, recruitment, and acts of sabotage.

In Aden, the ministry said security forces in Dar Saad district had arrested Waleed Saleh Ahmed Saleh, who was found in possession of improvised explosive devices and other materials.

It said subsequent investigations uncovered additional explosives and identified potential targets in the city. The ministry linked the cell to Houthi figures Mamoun al-Zajr and Mohammed al-Khashaa, and said it had planned to target security and military personnel and vital facilities, recruit operatives, and incite chaos.

In Abyan, the ministry said security forces had arrested two people in Lawdar district in early September, accusing them of planning attacks on security forces, military personnel, and civilians.

The ministry said those involved would be referred to the competent judicial authorities once investigations and evidence collection were complete.