"Yemeni Minister Calls for the Arrest of Houthi Leaders Attending Nasrallah’s Funeral"

"Yemeni Minister Calls for the Arrest of Houthi Leaders Attending Nasrallah’s Funeral"

Cairo: Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani on Wednesday stated that Houthi leaders from Yemen, who are aligned with Iran, should be arrested if they attend the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. Nasrallah, who served as Hezbollah’s Secretary General for more than 30 years, was killed on September 27 after Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. His funeral is scheduled for February 23.

In a post, Eryani called on the Lebanese government to arrest the Houthi leaders and hand them over to Yemen's internationally recognized government. However, he did not name the specific Houthi leaders.

The Houthis have not officially announced a delegation attending the funeral, but Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that a delegation from Yemen would participate. The TV channel stated, “The movement of these terrorist leaders... at this time is not merely participating in a funeral, but is being used as a cover to gather all the leaders of the Iranian axis and review the blows they have received.”

Eryani’s comments came in the context of recent Israeli attacks against Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah and the Houthis. Both groups had launched parallel attacks against Israel during the Gaza conflict to show support for the Palestinians.

Additionally, since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen, disrupting global shipping and causing route changes and losses.