Mahdi Al Mashat, head of the Houthi's Supreme Political Council, addresses a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, supporting Palestinians in Gaza. Reuters
Mahdi Al Mashat, head of the Houthi's Supreme Political Council, addresses a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, supporting Palestinians in Gaza. Reuters
Mahdi Al Mashat, head of the Houthi's Supreme Political Council, addresses a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, supporting Palestinians in Gaza. Reuters
Mahdi Al Mashat, head of the Houthi's Supreme Political Council, addresses a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, supporting Palestinians in Gaza. Reuters

Who are the key Houthi leaders sanctioned by the US?


Hala Nasar
  • English
  • Arabic

The United States this month placed sanctions on seven senior members of Yemen's Houthi militia, along with a Yemeni businessman linked to the Iran-backed group, for allegedly procuring weapons from Russia and supplying Moscow with fighters for its war in Ukraine.

The sanctions announced on March 5 came a day after the Trump administration redesignated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, raising fears about the impact on aid deliveries to Yemen and efforts to broker peace after 10 years of civil war.

Several of the sanctioned Houthi members made trips to Russia to secure weapons and other support, according to the US Department of Treasury. The US action blocks the sanctioned individuals' access to assets and interests in the US or under the control of US entities, and imposes penalties for dealing with them.

Mohammed Abdulsalam

As the main spokesman for the Houthis, Mohammed Abdulsalam is one of the group's most prominent figures and chairs the board of the rebel-affiliated Al Masirah Media Network. Mr Abdulsalam “played a key role in managing the Houthis' internal and external financing network”, according to the US Treasury, and visited Moscow to secure Russian weaponry and support. He also met Russian Foreign Ministry and military officials to arrange further visits by Houthi delegations, it said.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran in July 2024. Iranian Presidency / Anadolu via Getty Images
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran in July 2024. Iranian Presidency / Anadolu via Getty Images

Eshaq Almarwani

The US Treasury described Eshaq Almarwani as a “high-ranking Houthi operative and aide to Mr Abdulsalam” who has visited Russia as a member of Houthi delegations seeking to advance the group's interests internationally.

Mahdi Al Mashat

Mahdi Al Mashat is chairman of the Supreme Political Council (SPC) in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, which serves as the executive branch in the Houthi-led administration. He has been in charge of issuing official statements regarding the Houthis' military positions and diplomatic ties. He has also worked on building a relationship between the Houthis and Russia's government, specifically with President Vladimir Putin, according to the US Treasury.

Mohammed Ali Al Houthi

Mohammed Ali Al Houthi is a member of the SPC and served as chairman of its precursor, the Supreme Revolutionary Committee. As a spokesman of the Houthis, Mr Al Houthi has stressed the rebels' commitment to ensuring safe passage for Russian vessels amid the group's campaign of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza.

The US Treasury said Mr Al Houthi planned to visit Russia with other Houthi members to discuss details of Russian aid to the group.

The Houthis, led by Abdul Malik Al Houthi, have repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023, a month after the Gaza war began. The attacks disrupted global trade and prompted the US and the EU to send warships to the area. The group also launched drones and missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted. Those attacks resumed on Thursday after Israel launched military operations in Gaza, ending a two-month ceasefire.

The US launched three rounds of strikes on the Houthis since March 15 after the rebels threatened last week to resume attacks on shipping because of its blockade on aid entering Gaza.

Ali Al Hadi

Ali Al Hadi was appointed head of the Sanaa Chamber of Commerce (SCC) after the Houthis took control of the organisation in June 2023. He became a key figure in allocating financial resources to procure weapons, using his position on the SCC to facilitate purchases of military-grade equipment, the US Treasury said. He has also travelled to Russia to secure equipment for rebel fighters and Russian investment in Houthi industries, it said.

Abdulmalik Al Agri

As a senior Houthi operative, Abdulmalik Al Agri represented the group in meetings with high-ranking Russian officials in Moscow. He has also issued statements explaining the rebel group's efforts to counter international pressure against Houthi-affiliated banking institutions, the US Treasury said.

Khaled Saleh Jaber

Khaled Saleh Jaber is a Houthi operative who was involved in meetings with Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials as part of delegations sent to Russia. The US Treasury said he is closely connected to Houthi financial official Said Al Jamal and co-ordinates with him in “illicit procurement and finance activities”.

Abdul Wali Al Jabri

Formerly a major general in the Houthi militia, Abdul Wali Al Jabri is head of Al Jabri General Trading and Investment and was involved in the transfer of Yemeni civilians to Russian military units in Ukraine through his company, the Treasury said. This recruitment, “often under false and misleading pretences”, generated more revenue on behalf of the Houthi leadership, it said.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Sun jukebox

Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)

This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.

Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)

The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.

Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)

Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.

Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)

Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.

Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)

An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.

Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)

Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 2

Rashford 28', Martial 72'

Watford 1

Doucoure 90'

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)

Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)

Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

All the Money in the World

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer

Four stars

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The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors

Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km

Price: from Dh199,900

On sale: now

While you're here
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Schalke 0

Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')

Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)

MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)

Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.

Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.

Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.

Get your priorities right.

And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: March 20, 2025, 1:38 PM`