Mahmoud al-Subaihi
Minister of Defence of Yemen
In office
9 November 2014 – 25 March 2015 (de facto)/7 November 2018 (de jure)
PresidentAbdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
Prime MinisterKhaled Bahah
Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr
Preceded byMohammed Nasser Ahmed
Succeeded byMohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi
Personal details
Born1948 (age 75–76)
Huwaireb, Al Madaribah Wa Al Arah District, Lahij Governorate, Aden Protectorate
Military service
Allegiance Yemen
Branch/service Yemen Army
Years of service1976–2018
Rank Major general
Battles/warsYemeni Civil War (1994)
Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)

Major general Mahmoud al-Subaihi (Arabic: محمود الصبيحي) is a Yemeni military officer. He served in the cabinet of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi as defence minister. In the Yemen Army, he holds the rank of major general.[1] He was appointed to head the Ministry of Defence by Prime Minister Khaled Bahah in November 2014.[2]

Biography

al-Subaihi was born in 1948 in Huwaireb, Al Madaribah Wa Al Arah District, Lahij Governorate.[3][4] He had a bachelor's degree in military science from the military academy in Aden in 1976, then he studied Master's in the Soviet Union from 1978 to 1982.[4] Later on, he fought along with Ali Salem al Beidh during the 1994 Yemeni Civil War.[4]

al-Subaihi was placed under house arrest by the Houthis in January 2015, during their coup d'état in Sana'a. He resigned on 22 January, but after the Houthis' "constitutional declaration" on 6 February, in which they dissolved parliament and officially took control of the government, he was appointed to head the Houthi government's Supreme Security Committee. He attended the announcement of the constitutional declaration in Sana'a.[5] On 7 March, however, he fled Sana'a and traveled to Lahij Governorate, eventually joining President Hadi in Aden.[6] Jalal al-Rowaishan was appointed to succeed him as chairman of the Houthi-appointed Supreme Security Committee.[3]

Forces commanded by al-Subaihi participated in the Battle of Aden Airport on 19 March 2015, repelling special units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh from Aden International Airport and capturing an adjacent military base.[1] They also fought against a Houthi military advance through the Lahij Governorate, where al-Subaihi was reportedly captured on 25 March 2015 in Al Houtah.[7] Reuters cited Houthi and tribal sources reporting that he was released on 22 April, amid the start of Operation Restoring Hope.[8]

In October 2018, Oman reported that it convinced the Houthis to allow al-Subaihi to contact his family for the first time in three years.[9]

On 14 April 2023, al-Subaihi was released by the Houthis as part of a prisoner swap with the Yemeni government.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Soldiers loyal to Yemen's former president storm Aden airport". The Guardian. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  2. ^ Madabish, Arafat (9 March 2015). "Yemen defense minister escapes Sana'a to Aden after being held by Houthis". Asharq al-Awsat. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b Al-Khameri, Bassam (9 March 2015). "NEW SUPREME SECURITY HEAD APPOINTED AFTER AL-SUBAIHI'S ESCAPE". Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c محمود الصبيحي. aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Saudis Unswayed by Houthi Rebels' Overture in Yemen". The New York Times. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Yemen's defense minister escapes Houthi-controlled Sanaa". Reuters. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Conflicting reports on fate of Yemen defense minister". Al Arabiya. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Houthis free Yemen's defense minister: sources". Reuters. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  9. ^ كواليس أول اتصال لوزير الدفاع اليمني بأسرته من الأسر. aljazeera.net (in Arabic). 31 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Yemen prisoner swap starts as truce talks set for second round". France 24. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Prisoner swap process begins in Yemen". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
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