AL-MUKALLA: The Houthis announced on Sunday that Ahmed Ali Al-Hamzi, commander of the militia’s Air Force and Air Defense Force, had died after “suffering from illness.”
The announcement came as local media outlets reported that the Houthis had arranged funeral processions for over 100 fighters killed on the battlefield since the beginning of July.
In 2021, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Al-Hamzi for smuggling drones and other weapons from Iran to Yemen and receiving military training in Iran.
The US accused the Houthi commander of orchestrating drone and missile strikes against Yemeni civilians, neighboring countries, and commercial ships in international waters.
Last year, the UN Security Council also imposed sanctions on Al-Hazmi, accusing him of violating the international arms embargo on Yemen by smuggling unmanned aerial vehicles and other weapons into the country, as well as conducting drone attacks in Yemen, cross-border attacks on neighboring countries, and attacks on international ships off the Yemeni coasts.
Meanwhile, despite the cessation of hostilities since the beginning of 2022, when the UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect, the Houthis buried more than 100 fighters killed in fighting with Yemeni government forces since the beginning of July, Yemeni media said.
Based on Houthi mourning notes on their official media, Al-Masdar Online, a Yemeni news site, reported that the Houthis held funerals for 103 warriors between July 1 and Aug. 3, increasing the total number of deceased Houthi fighters since the beginning of the year to 4,040.
Thirty-two Houthi fighters were buried in Sanaa, followed by 12 in Dhammar, 10 in Saada, and 10 in Taiz.
The remaining Houthi combatants were buried in Amran, Hodeidah, Ibb, and other Yemeni provinces.
In October, the Houthis refused to extend the ceasefire and resumed military operations across the country, albeit on a smaller scale.
Three Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes with Houthis who attacked their position in Lahj’s Yafae on Friday morning.
