News - Yemen: The Yemeni Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the disruption of a wide espionage network linked to a joint intelligence operations room established by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Israeli military intelligence, and Saudi intelligence. 

The security operation resulted in the arrest of multiple suspects and the exposure of a sophisticated cell-management structure that targeted Yemen’s military, critical infrastructure and maritime traffic.

According to confessions obtained from detained operatives and data analysis shared with Almasirah Net, the joint operations room was headquartered in Riyadh and combined technical, recruitment and field-management roles across the three sponsoring services. 

The network’s strategic aim, the Interior Ministry says, was to weaken Yemen and to influence its stance in support of Gaza and the Palestinian cause by gathering and passing actionable intelligence to foreign handlers.

The operations room reportedly included Israeli officers from Aman and Mossad responsible for data analysis, equipment provision and technical training; CIA officers focused on technical and analytical support; and Saudi liaison officers who managed recruitment, funding and the field deployment of cells.

The network used a deliberate “cutting and isolation” model — small, compartmentalized cells operating independently to prevent total compromise if any member were captured. Tasks were routinely split so individual cells or agents held only partial knowledge of larger operations. Continuous training cycles, rotation of supervising officers, and use of development/humanitarian covers were all employed to sustain operations and expand recruitment.

Detainees described being supplied with advanced surveillance devices and training to collect coordinates, stream live feeds, and transmit photos and reports. Mobile apps, camera‑equipped vehicles and GPS‑linked modems were among the tools used to document and relay information directly to handlers.

The confessions indicate the network mapped military and civilian sites — counting building floors, entrances/exits, surveillance cameras and guard positions — and tracked movements of political, military and security leaders. Recorded targets included missile and drone launch areas, production workshops and technical staff, and maritime traffic such as grain and oil vessels off Ras Issa and in Al‑Salif port. Authorities say the information provided by the network contributed to strikes that caused significant damage and loss of life.

The operations room’s stated strategic goals were continuity of operations through rotation and technical support, expansion by recruiting inside Yemen and among expatriates, and strategic impact aimed at degrading Yemen’s armed capability and deterring its support for Gaza.

Yemeni officials present the arrests and revelations as evidence of both the scale of foreign intelligence activity directed against Yemen and the growing effectiveness of domestic security services in detecting and dismantling covert threats. The Interior Ministry framed the operation as a deterrent message to the US, the Zionist enemy and their regional partners that hostile plots will be uncovered and neutralized.

Observers say the Ministry’s revelation will have wide-reaching repercussions both domestically and internationally, given the sensitivity of the case and the dangerous role played by espionage networks working in coordination with US and Zionist intelligence to undermine Yemen’s security and resilience.

Since the escalation of aggression against Yemen, intelligence warfare has become one of the key tools used by the Zionist enemy and its American backers to weaken the resistance front. Yemeni security services have previously uncovered several espionage networks linked to the US, the Israeli enemy, and their regional allies, aimed at sabotaging national infrastructure and assassinating key figures in the government and the Armed Forces.