The Southern District of Beirut yesterday witnessed the burial of the spiritual leader of the Houthis Abdel-Malek Al-Shami who died of injuries he sustained in Yemen. He was buried next to the former military leader of Hezbollah Imad Mughniyah, who was very close to him, according to Lebanese sources.
An Arabi21 correspondent in Beirut confirmed the burial of Al-Shami who was wounded in the Islamic State (ISIS) bombing of Al-Hashoosh mosque in Sanaa. A number of worshippers were killed in the bombing which took place on 20 March.
Observers commented on the incident by saying that through the burial of the prominent Houthi leader, who was wounded in Yemen, died in Tehran and was buried in Beirut, the party confirms that "the Iranian project does not distinguish between Lebanon and Yemen, it is all one and the same and Hezbollah is the Godfather".
According to the Janoubia website, a Lebanese site which opposes Hezbollah, Al-Shami is considered to be a liaison officer between the Houthis and the Iranians. He was the special envoy of Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi to Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
Hezbollah was not discrete about the invitations made to the burial. Its supporters shared and exchanged messages over social media networks urging people to participate in bidding fare well to Al-Shami and in his burial. Lebanese Al-Modon newspaper reported that "whoever roamed the streets of the district could see the banners and pictures that announce the death of the Houthi leader. The calls to take part in his burial ceremony in the Garden of the Two Martyrs reached most supporters."
The paper and other Yemeni sources reported that A-Shami passed away in an Iranian hospital after sustaining wounds. Other sources speculated that he probably died in a Lebanese hospital. Sources close to Hezbollah told Al-Modon that Al-Shami had asked to be buried next to Mughniyah and that the party fulfilled his wish.
According to Janoubia, Al-Shami emigrated to Syrian 17 years ago to study at the Khomeini Hawza (a Shia institute) in Damascus upon recommendation from the founder of the Houthi movement Hussein Al-Houthi. During his years of study in Damascus, Al-Shami endeavoured to attract Yemeni students to come and study at the Hawzas and sent them to Lebanon, Syria and Iran and then back to work within the Houthi movement.
Al-Shami was preparing for the establishment of schools in Yemen that would become branches of the Beirut based Al-Mustafa schools. In addition, he was working on the creation of a unified administrative framework for Shia Hawzas and schools in Yemen. He was expected to be commissioned by Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi to be in charge of this project.
According to Al-Modon's sources, the Iranians "consider Al-Shami to be their vehicle for conveying Shiism to the Houthi heartlands. This confirms that he played a significant security role including acting as the liaison officer coordinating on behalf of the Houthis with Hezbollah and with the Iranians."
The sources point to the close association that existed between Mughniyah and Al-Shami. Mughniyah was directly supervising the activities of the Houthis who, according to these sources, were dealt a moral blow by the assassination of Mughniyah. When this happened their activities inside Yemen were adversely affected and had to withdraw from a number of the areas they had previously captured. Additionally, a number of their leaders were arrested, according to Al-Modon.
The newspaper added: "Following Mughniyah's assassination, Al-Shami assumed the task of coordinating with Hezbollah in Lebanon and with the Iranians who handed over to him the Yemeni file. This is the solid bond linking Al-Shami to Hezbollah's secretary-general. Therefore, Al-Shami was an extraordinary person and it was for this reason that the party agreed to bury him in the Garden of the Two Martyrs."
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