Houthi-linked TV station reported to have operated London company for 12 years

A Houthi-controlled television station is reported to have maintained a UK corporate presence in London for 12 years, prompting fresh concern over foreign influence and national security. According to the report, Al-Masirah TV appears to have operated through a company registered in the capital since 2014. The disclosure has drawn attention because the channel is described as the main propaganda network for the Houthi rebels.

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The company, Almasirah Network Limited, was first registered in September 2014 and listed its business activity as television programming and broadcasting. Companies House records cited in the report show that one of its directors since that time is listed as Ammar Al-Hamzy, which appears to be an alternative spelling of Ammar Al-Hamzi, described as the current director general of Al-Masirah TV. Another director is listed as Embrahim Mohammed Al-Dailami, which appears to match Ibrahim Al-Dailami, the current Houthi ambassador to Iran.

The report says the UK company changed its name in 2024 to Almassira TV channel. It also quotes a financial accountant who described the London operation as a shell company, saying it had no material assets and had filed dormant accounts for 10 years. The accountant also said the company was overdue with recent filings and that its directors had not completed identity verification.

Those details have intensified scrutiny of how the network has been able to maintain a formal presence in Britain. The revelation matters because it raises questions about how a media outlet linked to an armed group and accused by the United States of spreading pro-Iran disinformation was able to operate from London for so long. The report says the US took down the outlet in 2021, while the current disclosure has triggered concern among senior political figures about possible Iranian influence in Britain.

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The issue sits at the intersection of media regulation, corporate oversight and national security, all of which have become more sensitive as regional tensions involving Yemen continue. The report also places the story against the backdrop of the Houthi movement's wider regional activity. It says the channel is linked to the group that struck King Khalid International Airport last week, killing 12 people and injuring 300.

Al-Masirah's director general, Ammar Al-Hamzi, has previously described the station's work as exposing what he called the crimes and aggression of the US, Israel and Britain. Ibrahim Al-Dailami has also publicly criticised the UK's ambassador to Yemen and made threats against Western powers intervening in Yemen. What remains unclear is how much operational activity the London-registered company actually carried out, and whether any authorities had previously examined its status in detail.

The report does not say whether the company's filings or identity checks led to any enforcement action. The key questions now are whether the UK will review the registration history, whether any links to Iranian influence can be substantiated, and whether further scrutiny will follow over the network's corporate and editorial structure.

#Houthirebels #AlMasirahTV #London #nationalsecurity #Iranianinfluence

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