Houthi Militia Arrests Senior Security Official Amid Internal Power Struggles
The Houthi militia has arrested a high-ranking security official in Hajjah province on charges of treason, signaling a significant escalation in internal power struggles within the Iran-backed group.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the militia's recently established police intelligence agency detained the official, known by the alias "Abu Ghazza," who served as the head of the Preventive Security apparatus in the region. Following his arrest, the official was taken to an undisclosed location, marking a volatile shift in the group’s internal security dynamics.
The establishment of this new intelligence unit by the son of Ali Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi is widely viewed as a maneuver to consolidate authority and address growing distrust within the leadership of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. The move appears aimed at curbing the influence of factions based outside of Saada, the militia's traditional stronghold, as the central leadership seeks to tighten its grip on military and security decision-making.
According to security sources, the detention of the official, who occupied a sensitive position within the Preventive Security unit, reflects deep-seated suspicions regarding loyalty and coordination with commanders operating outside the inner circle of the movement. These internal purges are increasingly utilized by the Saada-based leadership to neutralize potential rivals and restructure power centers under the guise of addressing security breaches or administrative failures.
These developments underscore a broader, intensifying conflict within the militia’s hierarchy. As the group faces mounting military and political pressure, the leadership has prioritized the elimination of independent power bases to ensure absolute control over its institutions. Observers note that such frequent arrests highlight a systemic crisis of confidence, further complicating the militia's ability to maintain cohesion in the territories under its jurisdiction.