The Houthi group acknowledged on Friday, 18 September 2026, that a security operation had taken place in the Yemeni capital Sana’a, which is under its control. Sources meanwhile reported that four group members were killed and three others injured after an explosion targeted one of its security facilities in the Dhahr Hamir area of Azal district. The Yemen Future platform quoted private sources as saying that the explosion occurred inside the security facility early on Friday.
The sources said the group imposed tight security measures around the site after the operation, amid a lack of information about what took place inside the targeted facility. A security source in Sana’a said four Houthi members were killed in the explosion, including a commander known as Abu Ahmed al-Madani, while three other members suffered serious injuries.
Yahya Saree announces thwarting attempts in Sana’a
According to the account provided by the source, the casualties occurred inside a heavily guarded security facility. In the group’s first official comment, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the group’s forces had managed to “thwart criminal attempts in the capital Sana’a”. Saree described the attempts as “bearing the hallmarks of Daesh”, and warned that they “will not go unanswered”.
Saree provided no details about the nature of the operation or the identity of those who carried it out. He also did not announce the number of casualties or explain how what he described as the thwarting of the attempts had occurred. The sources, meanwhile, reported that seven group members were killed or injured in the explosion that struck the security facility.
The operation exposes a security breach inside the capital
According to information attributed to the sources, the circumstances of the operation point to a security breach inside Sana’a, the centre of Houthi power and one of its main strongholds.
This came as the group tightened its security measures and carried out pursuit campaigns in the capital, fearing that operations targeting its leaders and fortified facilities could expand.
