The spokesman for the Houthi militia in Yemen, Mohammed Abdulsalam, tweeted a picture of a meeting that had taken place between him and the leader of the terrorist Lebanese militia Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. Abdulsalam “conveyed the greetings of the political leadership and the Yemeni people,” expressing what he called “pride towards Hizbollah’s strong and principled stance on Yemen facing Saudi American aggression.”

The meeting with Hassan Nasrallah confirms the strong ideological and military connection between the Yemeni Ansarallah [Houthis] and Lebanese Hizbollah, both terrorist groups sponsored by the Iranian regime. It further reveals the coordination and alliance between two terrorist militias united to wage war against Yemen, its legitimate government, and the region.

Since the Iranian backed Houthi militia marched to the Yemeni capital and overthrew the internationally recognized government in 2014, the Houthis have been receiving weapons, land mines, and most dangerously, ballistic missiles, from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. But more importantly, the regime has delegated on-the-ground training and assembly to another one of its active proxies; the terrorist Lebanese Hizbollah.

The Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy to Yemen, and the Yemeni Army and Resistance Forces, have captured and killed a number of Hizbollah operatives in Yemen since the Houthis waged a coup and took over the capital in 2014. The existence of Hizbollah operatives to give on the ground training and advice has been well documented by the coalition. It represents a dangerous escalation by the Iranian regime in its determination to undermine regional governments and empower the rule of armed militias.

During a raid by Arab coalition special forces, a cache of evidence of Hizbollah involvement in Yemen was uncovered. A series of videos revealed on the ground Hizbollah commander advising the Houthis on asymmetric warfare, where to store weapons, and how to smuggle fighters between civilians. Both outlawed armed militias share an ideological affinity for the Iranian regime, as they were also heard on the same video chanting their own slogan of death. On August 16th, HRH Ambassador Prince Khaled Bin Salman tweeted about the much ignored reality of the existence of Hizbollah commanders in Yemen, and the direct, on the ground assistance they provide to the Houthis.

Hizbollah’s involvement in destabilizing Yemen is more solid evidence of the Iranian regime’s intent on destabilizing the region and threatening global trade and shipping lanes. Abdulsalam, the Houthi spokesman, has previously met with Iranian political leaders including the regime’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif. The meeting with Hizbollah comes at a particularly conspicuous time as the parties of Yemen, including the Houthis, are preparing for UN peace talks in Geneva. The militia’s public acknowledgement of a meeting with the Hizbollah leader is further proof that they, just like Hizbollah, are an armed, terrorist group, undetermined to give up their weapons and engage in serious, UN sponsored political peace talks.