X has suspended the account of Yahya Saree, spokesman for the military wing of the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen and one of the figures most closely identified with the organization’s propaganda apparatus.
Saree used the account to publish official statements, claim responsibility for missile and UAV launches, and issue threats against Israel and other countries in the region.
The suspension takes on particular significance given Saree’s central role in the Houthi propaganda apparatus. In recent years, the military spokesman has become one of the organization’s most recognizable faces internationally, with his social media statements routinely quoted by media outlets around the world.
Saree does not merely serve as a spokesman who reads military statements. Since the Houthis began attacking Israel and shipping routes in the Red Sea region, his appearances and statements have become a central part of the organization’s efforts to amplify the impact of its operations. Through his social media accounts, Saree published announcements about launches toward Israel, attacks on vessels, and other Houthi operations.
Recently, Reuters has cited statements published by Saree on X in its reports on Houthi military activity. Among other things, he used the platform to announce an attack on the Aramco refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, as well as additional attacks in Yemen.
The latest move is not the first time Saree’s accounts have faced action by the social media platform. In April 2022, Twitter, as X was then known, suspended a Saree account that had more than 340,000 followers. At the time, the Houthis used the account to claim responsibility for attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and to threaten further attacks. The company did not specify the exact violation that led to the suspension.
Clashes between X and accounts associated with the Houthis continued in subsequent years. In March 2024, it was reported that the platform had removed blue verification badges from accounts associated with the organization, including Saree’s accounts and those of other senior Houthi officials and media outlets. The move came amid growing international scrutiny of Houthi activity on social media against the backdrop of their attacks in the Red Sea.
In April 2025, Saree’s main account was suspended once again. At the time, it was reported that he still had a backup account and that members of the organization were working to have his primary account restored.
The suspension primarily damages the Houthis’ ability to disseminate their messages directly to an international audience. For years, X enabled Saree to bypass traditional media outlets and immediately publish the organization’s statements to hundreds of thousands of followers, from where they were rapidly spread across social media and quoted by international news organizations.
However, the suspension does not cut the Houthis off from the online sphere. The organization operates additional distribution channels, most notably Telegram channels and the Al-Masirah media network, and Saree has previously used alternative accounts after his earlier accounts were suspended.