Moammar al-Eryani, the Information Minister of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, on Wednesday urged the arrest of several leaders from the Iran-backed Houthi movement, stating they plan to attend the funeral of Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Reuters reports.
The funeral of Nasrallah, who was eliminated in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, is scheduled for February 23. The terror group has said it is planning a “grand funeral” for its former leader.
In a post on X, Eryani called on the Lebanese government to detain the Houthi officials and transfer them to Yemen's internationally recognized government. However, he did not disclose the names of the individuals in question.
There was no immediate response from either the Lebanese authorities or the Houthis regarding Eryani’s request. While the Houthis have not officially announced their attendance, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that a Yemeni delegation would take part 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 said, according to Reuters.
The Houthi rebels have upped their attacks in the region since October of 2023, having launched drones towards Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region in support for Gazans.
In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.
The coalition has repeatedly targeted Houthi facilities and weapons systems in Yemen, but the Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes and have vowed to continue their attacks.