National Resistance intelligence forces have successfully dismantled a Houthi-linked assassination cell, uncovering its involvement in the killing of journalist Mohammed Ayedha and thwarting a plot against a military figure. This operation marks the second such success for the intelligence apparatus in less than a month, highlighting ongoing efforts to neutralize Houthi security networks.
The military media wing of the National Resistance reported that the General Intelligence agency, in coordination with the State Security apparatus in Aden, apprehended two members of the assassination cell operating on behalf of the Houthi militias. Efforts are reportedly underway to apprehend a third operative.
Initial investigations with the detained individuals have reportedly confirmed their complicity in the assassination of journalist Mohammed Ayedha in Mukalla. The cell is also implicated in a planned assassination attempt targeting Brigadier General Salah Al-Salahi in the temporary capital, Aden.
This recent operation followed the successful dismantling of a cell responsible for the assassination of Brigadier General Yahya Wa'ish. Intelligence subsequently monitored new Houthi activities aimed at targeting Brigadier General Salah Al-Salahi, who had recently traveled from Mukalla to Cairo for leave. Al-Salahi, a former commander of the "Sammad Brigade" who defected from the Houthi ranks, had reportedly received communications from Houthi operatives posing as representatives of an individual named "Affash Tarek," in an attempt to lure him into an ambush.
Following intelligence directives, Brigadier General Al-Salahi maintained contact with the cell members as part of a carefully coordinated operation to expose and apprehend them. An agreement was reached for a meeting at a hotel in Aden, at which point intelligence alerted the State Security apparatus. A raid on the location resulted in the capture of two operatives, while the search for the third continues.
This operation underscores the Houthi militias' continued reliance on clandestine cells to carry out assassinations targeting military and media figures in liberated areas, with the aim of destabilizing security and stability. However, the vigilance of intelligence and security agencies has been instrumental in thwarting these plots and exposing some of the networks utilized by the militias to advance their agendas.
