Rare Confession: Hezbollah Secretary-General Reveals a Prominent Leader’s Nine-Year Role in Yemen
Yemen Monitor / Beirut / Exclusive:
In a rare and public statement, the Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, disclosed the presence of the prominent military leader of the party, Haitham Ali Tabataba’i, in Yemen for nine continuous years.
This statement is considered the first official admission by the party’s leadership of the actual extent of its military role in the Yemeni war, spanning from the start of the Arab Coalition’s operations in 2015 until this year.
During a memorial service held for Commander Tabataba’i, who was killed this month in an Israeli raid on Beirut, Qassem indicated that Tabataba’i “left an important mark in Yemen.” He confirmed that his presence extended from 2015, the year the Houthi group seized control of the state and “Operation Decisive Storm” was launched, and his mission continued until 2024.
This time frame carries extremely dangerous military and political implications, as it clarifies that Hezbollah’s military and leadership expertise was present in managing operations, strategic planning, and technical development for the Houthi group throughout the years of bloody conflict in the country.
The Secretary-General did not reveal the precise nature of the tasks Tabataba’i undertook. However, his description that the commander left “an important mark” suggests a key leadership and foundational role in developing the Houthis’ military capabilities, particularly regarding the missiles and drones that saw significant qualitative development during that period.
Tabataba’i is considered one of Hezbollah’s most prominent field commanders and his name has been associated with leading the elite “Al-Ridwan Force” and the file of developing missile capabilities for allies in the “Axis of Resistance.”
Qassem’s statement confirms the physical presence of party experts in Sana’a, a fact that both the Houthi group and Hezbollah had denied during the early years of the war, limiting their acknowledgment to only political and media support.
