Tribal sources reveal to "Yemeni Youth Net" the details of the Houthi attack on the village of Hanaka Al Masoud in Rada'a, Al Bayda

Today, Thursday, the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia launched a major attack on the village of Hanakat Al Masoud in Qayfa Rada’a in Al Bayda Governorate (central Yemen), using drones, tanks and artillery shelling, after tension that lasted for several days.

Special tribal sources told "Yemeni Youth Net", including (Abu Al-Ahrar Al-Salali) that Houthi tanks and artillery from the Al-Qusayr camp located on the outskirts of the village are shelling the village from the camp, while additional elements from the Central Region forces led by the so-called Abdulkhaliq Al-Houthi gathered and participated in the attack on the village, and were stationed in the Al-Hanaka Institute and began shelling from there.

Houthi elements who left the Suwadiyah camp, led by Abu Muhammad Qatran, commander of the camp's first battalion, are also participating in the attack. The Houthis have deployed new points from Abs in the Ash-Shariyah district to inside the city of Rada'a, reaching the Al-Qarn point, the northern exit in Rada'a, according to the sources.

According to three sources who spoke to Yemen Youth Net, clashes are still raging at the time of writing, with the Houthis using drones extensively. Tribal sources said that tribal fighters shot down some of these drones on Thursday afternoon.

Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, governor of Dhamar and one of the Houthi leaders tasked with managing the conflict and controlling Al-Bayda governorate, said during an audio clip on the “X” platform that his militias will use all types of weapons against the tribes in Rada’a, accusing them of Zionism, as is the custom of the Houthis who declare infidels and permit the shedding of the blood of all those outside their group.

Today, Thursday, the terrorist Houthi militia burned down the Zaid bin Haritha Mosque in the Al-Khasha area, which belongs to the Al-Masoud tribe in Qayfa Rada’a in Al-Bayda Governorate, after bombing it with a drone, while the militia continues to besiege the area for several days. #Yemen_Youth pic.twitter.com/UwACx7rCFq

— Yemen Youth TV Channel (@TVyemenshabab) January 9, 2025

The Equality Organization for Rights and Freedoms reported that the Houthi attack "resulted in the deaths and injuries of 13 civilians, including women and children, and the destruction of homes and property," holding the leadership of the Houthi militia fully responsible for these horrific crimes against civilians, which are classified as war crimes and the criminal responsibility of their perpetrators does not lapse with the passage of time.

In a statement, the organization called on the United Nations, the UN Security Council, and all international organizations to take immediate and decisive measures against the Houthi militia to pressure it to stop its repeated violations of human rights in Al Bayda Governorate.

The Houthi militia justified this through its Ministry of Interior by saying that it had been attacking the village for five days. It also admitted that it had "bombed residents' homes as a result of the presence of what it accuses of being ISIS terrorists there."

How did the conflict break out?

The roots of the conflict go back years when the Houthi militia stormed the village of Al Masoud and demanded that the tribes hand over a number of Quran memorization teachers at a center affiliated with the Abu Bakr Al Siddiq Mosque in the village. The Houthi militia had previously attacked the center, killed a number of students and kidnapped others.

According to the sources, tribal mediation intervened and handed over eight of them to the Houthi militia according to tribal customs in exchange for the militia’s pledge to release them after investigation. The Houthi militia delayed releasing the eight until late last month.

Three days ago, they tried to storm the village again, demanding the release of those released, among others. They also tried to impose 30 cultural supervisors to manage the village mosques. Tribal mediation on Wednesday succeeded in handing over four Quran memorization students and teachers to the militia in exchange for ending the campaign, while the others refused to surrender.

The Houthi militia and tribal sources say that a number of Qayfa sheikhs colluded in the attack on the village and appeared on the Houthi Al Masirah channel supporting the war on the village of Hanaka Al Masoud. They are: Sheikh Muhammad Al Zobah, Sheikh Sadiq Al Dhahab, Sheikh Saeed Abu Sarimah, Sheikh Hussein Jaroun, and a number of other sheikhs.

Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti admitted in an audio space on the “X” platform that the tribal wars in Rada’a are draining his militias and causing their security and military elements to suffer continuous exhaustion.