Tribal and medical sources have told Sheba Intelligence that the Houthis have expanded compulsory recruitment to include university and high school students, sending them to the front lines to compensate for mounting battlefield losses following intensified fighting in Taiz and along Yemen’s western coast.

Meanwhile, a source working at a hospital in Dhamar governorate reported that nearly 3,000 bodies of Houthi fighters remain unburied.

A tribal source in Dhamar told Sheba Intelligence that the group began implementing compulsory recruitment measures several months ago, including issuing mandatory military service cards to high school and university students in preparation for their deployment to combat fronts.

According to the source, recruitment intensified as military casualties mounted, extending across educational institutions and academic disciplines.

The source said the campaign also reached Dhamar’s Faculty of Medicine, where first- and second-year students were reportedly removed from classrooms and sent to fight on the Taiz fronts. Students in more advanced academic years were required to work in emergency medical services and hospitals, assisting with the growing number of wounded and dead fighters.

Nearly 3,000 Bodies Remain Unburied in Dhamar

A medical student assigned to compulsory duties at the hospital morgue told Sheba Intelligence that approximately 3,000 bodies of Houthi fighters are currently being held in its refrigerated facilities awaiting burial.

The student said the figure does not include large numbers of fighters whose bodies had previously been received by the hospital and subsequently buried.

The account corroborates information provided by the tribal source, who said increasing numbers of bodies had been transferred to Dhamar after morgue facilities in Taiz and Ibb reached capacity. Other bodies were reportedly transported to Sana’a.

The reported accumulation of unburied bodies points to mounting pressure on morgue facilities and the group's ability to manage battlefield casualties. However, the figure does not represent the total number of Houthi fighters killed since the fighting escalated.

Sheba Intelligence has not independently verified the reported number through hospital records or direct examination of the bodies.

Battlefield Attrition Extends to Security Personnel and Students

The latest accounts follow an earlier Sheba Intelligence report on the capture of senior Houthi military, security and intelligence officials by Yemeni government forces in Taiz, amid mounting losses among field commanders linked partly to intensified drone operations.

The previous investigation revealed that the Houthis had deployed security personnel from areas under their control, including police and security officials based in Sana’a, to reinforce their forces on the Taiz fronts.

The new information suggests that the group's manpower shortages are extending beyond regular combat units and field commanders, prompting the mobilization of university and high school students alongside security personnel.

The combination of compulsory student recruitment, the redeployment of internal security officials and the reported accumulation of unburied fighters indicates growing pressure on the Houthis' ability to replenish their ranks and sustain operations across multiple fronts.

The reported recruitment of high school students also raises concerns about the possible involvement of minors in hostilities. Establishing the ages of those recruited will be essential to determining whether the practices constitute violations of international prohibitions on child recruitment and use in armed conflict..