Yemen’s Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan stated that after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, Iran’s regime transferred its narcotics and weapons smuggling operations to Yemen.
He said in an interview with Al Hadath TV on Sunday, October 26, 2025, that the Syrians arrested in Yemen were drug-manufacturing experts who had entered the country under the guise of tourists.
Haidan reported close security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s legitimate government, adding that relations between the two sides “are at their best level.”
Strong Ties Between Houthis and Iranian Regime Arms Supply Network Remain Intact
According to him, the discovery of a drug production factory in Yemen’s Al Mahrah Governorate was carried out in full coordination with Riyadh, and the coast guard forces of both countries have conducted joint exercises and training sessions.
On September 5, Haidan had also announced the seizure of a captagon production plant linked to Iran’s regime in Yemen, stating that the country’s security forces had arrested a Syrian national and a Lebanese national in connection with the facility.
He said the purpose of these activities was “to expand smuggling networks and destabilize the region.”
The Houthis are considered one of Iran’s regime’s proxy groups in the region.
The Israeli news outlet Ynet reported on September 26, 2025, that the Houthis, with Tehran’s support, continue to produce weapons and train proxy forces.
Continuing his interview with Al Hadath, Yemen’s interior minister referred to the country’s internal situation, stating that the Houthi coup had weakened the structure of the state and created a security vacuum.
Haidan added that some of the arrested Houthi members had links with the Somali militant group al-Shabaab.
The Houthis have controlled the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, since 2014. However, the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union do not recognize the group’s rule.
The United States and Israel have designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
The Middle East Monitor Research Foundation, a Dubai-based political think tank, wrote in an October 16, 2025, analysis that with the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Yemen has become a new front of confrontation between Iran’s regime and Israel.
On September 6, Moammar al-Eryani, Yemen’s minister of information, announced that the Houthis, in cooperation with Iran’s regime, had established a factory for producing chemical weapons in areas under their control.
