Yemen Monitor /Newsroom
The legitimate Yemeni government has warned of a Houthi plot to bring tens of thousands of individuals from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Iraq into areas under their control under the guise of visiting religious shrines and tombs.
The government revealed a Houthi project titled “A Guide to Tourist Programs and Historical and Religious Landmarks Related to the Faith and Leaders of Guidance.”
Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani affirmed that this move is not merely a plan to revitalize tourism but rather a means to strengthen Iranian influence in areas controlled by the group, and to introduce experts from Iran and Hezbollah, as well as fighters, into Yemen.
He highlighted an attempt to incite sectarian strife in the country and to impose the Houthi coup through direct Iranian sectarian support under the cover of religious tourism.
He warned of the danger of transforming the country into an open arena for Iranian interference, threatening the security and stability of Yemen and the region, working to deepen the crisis, and undermining efforts to achieve calm and peace.
The Information Minister also explained that the Houthi group has, since its coup, sought to destroy tourist landmarks, using them in military operations and storing weapons.
He affirmed that the group has worked to excavate archaeological sites for the purpose of trafficking antiquities to finance its military operations and plans to demolish 500 historical buildings in the old city of Sana’a.
