President Mohammed Ali al-Houthi Role Political figure | Name Hussein Khairan | |
Allegiance Yemen Houthis (from 2015) | ||
Hussein Nagi Khairan (Arabic: حسين ناجي خيران), born in Arhab District, is a Yemeni military officer. He served as defence minister, until November 2016, for the Houthi-appointed government of Yemen, having been appointed on 22 March 2015 after the defection of Mahmoud al-Subaihi to the internationally recognised government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Aden. According to a Houthi political official, Khairan's appointment placed him in direct command of all military units except for those loyal to Hadi. He reportedly took charge of the military offensive against Hadi's holdouts in southern Yemen.
Khairan previously served from 1993 to 2014 as commander of the 1st Marine Infantry Brigade on Socotra. In December 2014, Hadi named him as chief of staff of the Yemen Army. However, the Houthi militants that occupied Sana'a earlier that year blocked him from entering the defence ministry. Hadi officially fired Khairan as army chief of staff on 5 April, weeks after he switched sides to join the Houthis' ranks.
He was reported to have been killed on October 8, 2016 during the Sanaa Funeral Bombing.
His death was then denied.
On 28 November 2016, he was replaced by Mohamed al-Atifi as Defense minister.
On 29 November 2016, he was appointed as Presidential Advisor.