Barran Press
Young Yemeni documentary filmmaker Mussab Al-Hutami was killed in a mortar attack by Iran-backed Houthi forces in southern Marib province, northeastern Yemen on Saturday.
He was martyred beside me, in one of the hardest moments of my life," wrote Musab's brother, Yemeni photographer Suhaib Al-Hutami, in a poignant Facebook post. Suhaib, who was wounded in the same attack, recounted how mortar shells rained down on them near Al-Akad front while they were filming.
Mussab, son of journalist Abdulhafidh Al-Hutami, had recently returned to Yemen from the Netherlands, where he lived as a refugee for a decade and recently gained Dutch citizenship. On Saturday, April 26, 2025, he was killed while preparing a documentary focused on human stories on the southern front. Three members of the National Army and Popular Resistance from Al-Aradah family also perished in the attack.
Leading his son's funeral in Marib on Sunday, veteran journalist Abdulhafidh Al-Hutami displayed remarkable strength. "Musab is no more precious than any of the martyrs who sacrificed for their homeland from the first day," he told Barran Press.
Mussab's death resonated deeply within Yemen’s media circles. Known for his exceptional filmmaking and photography skills, he had returned to Marib with a passion to document the humanitarian impact of the war. His friend, journalist Waleed Al-Mualimi, lamented that Musab "spent ten years abroad longing for a homeland to embrace him. He returned full of love, unaware that betrayal awaited him in a treacherous Houthi attack."
Al-Mualimi added that Musab’s death had become "a living film exposing the terrorism he sought to document," highlighting the stolen dreams and extinguished joy of the Yemeni people.
Writer and journalist Abdulrazzaq Al-Hutami emphasized Musab’s intention to use his Dutch passport as "a ticket to bring Yemen’s unseen agony to the world" through powerful films. He noted Musab’s deep connection to his homeland, stating, "Musab saved all his passion for the scent of his homeland’s soil... it never left his heart." Abdulrazzaq concluded that Musab’s final project was deeply personal, with his "own sacrifice the heart of the story—the climax of his film and the pinnacle of his vision."