Sanaa – Asharq Al-Awsat

Over 40 members of the Iran-backed Houthi militias were killed over the weekend in internal fighting between rival factions over a drugs shipment, local sources in Yemen’s Saada province told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They said that the clashes erupted between gunmen loyal to Houthi leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi and others loyal to his uncle, Mohammed Abdulazem al-Houthi.

They explained that the Houthi leader ordered his gunmen from the al-Hmeidan and al-Qamadi districts to confront the transporters of the drugs shipment, which was seized by his uncle’s supporters.

The large shipment was loaded into a truck and was supposed to be smuggled into Saudi Arabia.

Heavy weapons, tanks and armored vehicles were used in the ensuing clashes. The majority of the casualties were from Abdulmalek al-Houthi’s faction.

Mohammed Abdulazem al-Houthi adopts a different ideology from his nephew. He adheres to the al-Zaidi imams ideology, while Abdulmalek al-Houthi adheres to the Iranian Khomeini doctrines.

Observers stated that senior Houthi leaders rely on the drug trade, which garners them millions of dollars annually. They have relied on the expertise of the Lebanese armed party Hezbollah in this trade.

The national army had over the past three years thwarted the smuggling of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics that the Houthis were planning on sending to Saudi Arabia.