The Houthi terrorist organization has formed a new security agency under the direct command of its leader, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, sources in Yemen confirm. Named the Revolution Security Agency, it is designed to supervise the group's various intelligence and espionage units, just months after it was revealed that Israel might assassinate the senior leaders of the Iranian proxy.
A report by the independent Yemeni outlet Defense Line disclosed that this agency integrates multiple security bodies, structured in the likeness of Iran's intelligence agencies and mirroring Hezbollah's operational model. Abd al-Malik al-Houthi personally mandated its establishment to orchestrate and streamline activities across the group's security entities.
In addition to domestic intelligence, the agency will manage overseas operations, akin to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Yemeni sources suggest the agency aims to reinforce the Houthis' security dominance and expand their methods of controlling northern Yemen's population. According to Defense Line, Jaffar Mohammed Ahmed al-Marhabi, a 42-year-old senior Houthi operative known as Abu Jaffar, heads the agency. Hailing from Saada province, al-Marhabi is a key figure in the group's clandestine activities.
Jaffar al-Marhabi joined the Houthis in the 1990s through the Believing Youth movement, a radical Shia-Zaydi group influenced by Iran's Islamic Republic. This movement evolved into Ansar Allah, the Houthis' official name. Like other senior figures, al-Marhabi likely underwent training abroad.
A trusted ally of the group's founder, Hussein al-Houthi, al-Marhabi was tasked with security of the founder's family before taking on the protection of the current leader, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, after Hussein's death. He maintained connections with cells tied to Iran's Quds Force and Hezbollah, executing assassinations and planting explosives in Yemen. Despite multiple arrests by authorities, he was repeatedly released. The report notes that in 2008, al-Marhabi faced a death sentence for killing an officer and a soldier in a terrorist attack but was freed in a 2011 presidential pardon. By 2016, he held a rank equivalent to colonel and now directs the group's intelligence efforts.
Recent reports from Defense Line highlight Houthi concerns about an attack resembling one that targeted Hezbollah, fears of a collapse in their internal security framework. Consequently, they prioritized strengthening their intelligence units, with the Revolution Security Agency leading the effort.
