A few hours after launching another ballistic missile toward central Israel in the middle of the night, the Houthis issued an unusual statement Wednesday, reporting that the group's security services had exposed and arrested several spies in recent days who had been passing information to the Mossad. According to an official statement from the Houthis, the spies were recruited by a wanted figure named Hamid Hussein Fayed Majli, who would pass the information on to Israel and the US.
"The enemy tasked the spies with carrying out intelligence activities, including tracking and determining the locations of missiles, UAVs, naval forces and other military sites," the Houthis claimed. According to their statement, the spies were also tasked with tracking and locating military, political and security leaders and social figures, and information was also collected on experts, laboratories, and missile and UAV launch vehicles. They also claimed that the location of the Houthi naval forces, their bases and weapons depots was monitored, and there was even an attempt to track and collect information on the whereabouts of their leader in Yemen, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
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A rally of Houthi supporters in Sanaa, Yemen, on the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad
(Photo: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
According to the Houthis, the spies were asked to pass on coordinates to Majli, so he could pass them on to the Mossad. "Enemy intelligence asked the spies to infiltrate, recruit and plant agents and spies in the ranks of the security forces and the army," claimed Iranian envoys in Yemen.
Majali, the Houthi statement noted, was recruited by Saudi intelligence in 2008 and is linked to American and Israeli intelligence agencies. The same agencies "tasked him at the beginning of the "Al-Aqsa Flood," the Palestinian name given to the war with the surprise attack on October 7, to carry out operations "to attract and recruit spies."
"The enemy intelligence wants to use espionage to stop the Yemeni people's support for Gaza, by attacking the Houthi military forces and senior officials," the Houthis claimed.
The Houthis said they would "fulfill their responsibility to secure the home front and protect against infiltration attempts by the Americans and Israelis," and threatened the death penalty for anyone who cooperates with them.
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Yemeni Houthi rebels wave picture of leader Abd al-Malik al-Houthi
(Photo: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
"We warn of the risk of working for the American and Israeli intelligence services - the penalty for doing so could be death. We call on everyone who is and was a partner in passing intelligence to the enemy to surrender themselves to the legal authorities. We will be able to reach them wherever they are. We call on everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement or activity."
This is not the first time the Houthis have claimed to have captured spies. In June, the rebels claimed they uncovered an intelligence network "linked to the Mossad and U.S. intelligence services." They claimed that "there is a lot of evidence and we are talking about dozens and perhaps hundreds of elements from various organizations and institutions taking part in the intelligence network."
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The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network reported in June that the Houthis claimed that the network had been operating in the country since 2015, gathering information and also working to influence the economy. It was also reported that the network had succeeded in influencing decision-makers "and in penetrating the state's mechanisms." The Lebanese network said at the time that the network had "provided American and Israeli intelligence with military information in order to weaken the army and its capabilities." The Houthis later released videos showing the "spies" who had been caught.
The Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Houthis raised their state of alert to the highest level, and "moved most of their forces to the areas of the lines of contact with government forces" and ordered shipping companies to evacuate their warehouses in the port of Hodeidah, in preparation for an imminent Israeli attack, "which will be different from its predecessors."
Local sources told the newspaper that the Houthis are also preparing for the possibility of a popular uprising against them. Houthi intelligence services have conveyed messages to residents in various areas to avoid talking on the phone or on social media about the sites that were hit by Israeli and U.S. attacks.