Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani has urged Lebanese authorities to arrest leaders of the Iran-backed Houthis who are expected to attend Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral in Beirut on February 23. Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for over three decades, was killed on September 27 amid intensified Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.
Eryani issued his demand on X/Twitter, calling for the Houthi officials to be handed over to Yemen’s internationally recognized government. While he did not specify which members of the group would be traveling, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that a Yemeni delegation would participate in the funeral.
“We affirm that the movement of these terrorist leaders ... in this timing is not a mere participation in the funeral, which is being used as a cover, to gather all the leaders of the Iranian axis and assess the situation after the blows they received,” Eryani wrote. His remarks referenced recent Israeli strikes on Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Both groups have been engaged in attacks on Israel since the start of the Israel-Hamas War on Oct. 7, 2023, aligning themselves with Hamas. The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have also disrupted global shipping in the Red Sea, carrying out more than 100 attacks on vessels since November 2023.