Intelligence estimates obtained by Sheba Intelligence indicate that more than 50 Russian specialists and at least six Chinese experts are operating in Sanaa alongside Iranian personnel, supporting Houthi capabilities in electronic warfare, drones, missiles, communications and satellite systems.

Sheba Intelligence | Exclusive 

A new wave of airstrikes hit Houthi military targets in Sanaa early Sunday, with one strike believed to have targeted a training center inside the former First Armored Division compound where foreign military specialists have been involved in training activities, according to intelligence obtained by Sheba Intelligence.

The Yemeni Armed Forces confirmed early Sunday that strikes were underway against what it described as “vital targets” belonging to the Houthis in Sanaa and Saada, but did not disclose the locations or nature of the targets.

Intelligence sources told Sheba Intelligence that one of the sites struck in Sanaa is believed to be a training facility inside the former First Armored Division compound.

According to the intelligence, the facility has been used for training activities involving Houthi personnel and foreign specialists, including personnel linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The precise damage and casualties at the site remain unclear, and Sheba Intelligence has not established whether foreign personnel were present inside the facility when it was struck.

Intelligence Points to a Wider Foreign Expert Network

The strike comes as intelligence obtained by Sheba Intelligence reveals a broader foreign technical presence supporting advanced Houthi military capabilities in Sanaa.

According to intelligence estimates, more than 50 Russian specialists are believed to be operating alongside the Houthis.

Their exact number has not been independently established, but intelligence assessments reviewed by Sheba Intelligence put the Russian presence at more than 50 personnel.

The Russian specialists are primarily involved in counter-drone electronic warfare and jamming systems, military communications and satellite-related capabilities, according to the intelligence.

Their activities are believed to include technical support intended to detect, disrupt or interfere with unmanned aerial systems, alongside work involving communications and satellite-linked systems.

The intelligence also identifies a smaller but highly specialized Chinese technical team consisting of at least six experts.

Three of the Chinese specialists are described as experts in unmanned aerial systems, two specialize in missile and explosive-warhead technologies, while a sixth works in communications and satellite systems, according to the sources.

Experts Believed to Have Been Away From Targeted Site

Despite their reported involvement in Houthi military programs, available intelligence indicates that the Russian and Chinese specialists were probably not inside the suspected training center at the First Armored Division compound when it was struck.

According to Sheba Intelligence sources, Russian and Chinese specialists use another location in Sanaa as a principal operational and residential facility.

The intelligence identifies an underground operations room beneath a building associated with the University of Science and Technology in Sanaa as one of the locations used by foreign specialists.

Sources said the underground facility serves as an operations base and also provides accommodation for some of the specialists.

Academic Programs as Cover

The intelligence obtained by Sheba Intelligence also points to efforts to provide civilian or academic cover for some foreign technical personnel operating in Houthi-controlled territory.

Sources said Russian and Chinese specialists can be presented as lecturers, advisers or technical experts associated with specialized academic programs.

The development coincides with the introduction of aviation and drone-related academic programs at universities under Houthi control.

According to Sheba Intelligence sources, these programs provide an environment in which foreign specialists can maintain a presence under academic or technical titles while providing expertise relevant to Houthi military programs.

The existence of academic aviation programs does not itself demonstrate military activity, and Sheba Intelligence has not independently established that the universities or their administrations are participating in the reported military programs.

Rather, intelligence sources say the academic framework is being exploited as cover for the presence of individual foreign specialists.

A Pattern Previously Tracked by Sheba Intelligence

The latest intelligence adds another layer to a foreign-supported military and technical infrastructure in Sanaa that Sheba Intelligence has been tracking for months.

On September 20, Sheba Intelligence revealed details of a covert operation inside Sanaa, codenamed “In the Heart of the Enemy,” which targeted a secret Houthi communications network.

According to intelligence obtained by Sheba Intelligence at the time, drones tracked nodes connected to a fiber-optic network before a ground component struck a main communications room linked to the system.

Four Iranian experts associated with the targeted communications network were killed in that operation, according to Sheba Intelligence sources.

Sheba Intelligence subsequently uncovered an IRGC-built hybrid military communications network combining fiber-optic infrastructure with modern wireless systems.

The investigation identified Jabal Aiban and Attan in Sanaa as key nodes, with dedicated stations and additional communications equipment installed as part of the network.

The system was later used operationally during the Houthi offensive on Mocha and Bab al-Mandab, according to information obtained by Sheba Intelligence.

Chinese Satellite Capabilities

The latest intelligence concerning Chinese technical specialists also follows earlier Sheba Intelligence investigations into Houthi efforts to acquire Chinese satellite imagery and geospatial capabilities.

In June, Sheba Intelligence revealed that the Houthi external intelligence apparatus, working through a specialized channel in Muscat, had sought Chinese satellite imagery, coordinates and geospatial capabilities for military and maritime operations.

The reported effort was intended to support capabilities including maritime surveillance, tracking and operational targeting in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.

A subsequent Sheba Intelligence investigation reported another arrangement involving MizarVision, operated by Hangzhou-based Meentropy Technology, for satellite imagery and maritime-surveillance data, according to information obtained by the platform.

Sheba Intelligence has not established that these earlier reported satellite arrangements are directly connected to the six Chinese specialists identified in the latest intelligence. The developments nevertheless form part of a wider pattern of efforts to acquire foreign technical capabilities in satellite surveillance, communications, drones and targeting systems.

IRGC Presence Under Increasing Pressure

The reported Russian and Chinese presence adds to the much more extensively documented role of the IRGC in developing Houthi military capabilities.

Sheba Intelligence investigations have previously identified Iranian involvement in communications infrastructure, missile and drone programs, command structures and operational planning.

The new intelligence suggests that the technical support environment in Sanaa has become more diversified, with different foreign specialists reportedly concentrating on separate capability areas: Iranian personnel across multiple military programs; Russian experts focused particularly on electronic warfare, counter-drone systems, communications and satellite capabilities; and Chinese specialists working on drones, missiles, warheads, communications and satellite systems.

The latest strike on the suspected training facility comes as the air campaign against Houthi military infrastructure in Sanaa continues.

The Yemeni Armed Forces said early Sunday that it was striking “vital targets” in both Sanaa and Saada, without providing a detailed target list or battle-damage assessment.

Whether any Iranian or other foreign specialists were killed or wounded in the latest strikes remains unknown.