Yemen's Houthis blow up homes after losing control in Al-Bayda, Marib
Houthi rebels used to brag of blowing up homes of top government officials between 2010-2014, and once the group took control of Sanaa in 2014, they continued sporadically attacking opponents' homes. But the latest attacks have captured media attention as they coincide with military defeats.
Following the Yemeni government's military advance against Houthi rebels in Al-Zaher district in Al-Bayda province and the Rahabah district in Marib province in early July, the Iran-backed group launched counteroffensives to recapture the two districts. After recapturing Al-Zaher and some areas of Rahabah, Houthis resorted to using their old tactic of blowing up homes of opponents in these districts.
After the Houthis recaptured Al-Zaher on July 8, they blew up the home of Hussein al-Humaiqani on July 25. Houthi officials haven’t spoken about this, and Houthi-aligned media outlets have not broadcast the news. Houthis in the past have targeted the homes of people who fought against them to stop their expansion in and outside Saada in northern Yemen. Humaiqani helped government forces gain control of Al-Zaher on July 5.
Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister in the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, condemned the targeting of Humaiqani's home in a tweet: “The Houthi militia deliberately blew up citizens’ homes in the manner of terrorist organizations, terrorizing citizens and systematically avenging anyone who disagrees with it.”
Eryani also called on the "international community, the UN, and human rights organizations" to condemn the destruction of homes that he described as a “flagrant violation of international laws and covenants,” and he called for including the Houthi group and its leadership on “terrorism lists.”
