Textbooks of Jihad

Hani Tomer drove across an exposed valley in Yemen’s Al-Jawf governorate, under a hail of enemy fire, to reach a group of his besieged comrades, delivering supplies and evacuating the wounded to safety. Then he repeated this daredevil mission and, after making it back with more wounded men, he repeated it yet again. But on this third trip, Tomer’s vehicle was disabled by gunfire. He got out and was quickly shot down in the open. A war correspondent who worked alongside Tomer recounted in a biographical film, “I remember his enthusiasm and very high morale, despite his young age, because he was a brave man who carried his gun on one side and his camera on the other.”

Tomer’s bravery is beyond dispute. Whether he was a man or still a boy is another question. According to the Houthi War Media channel, the media wing of the military force for which he fought, Tomer was born in the Islamic year 1423, meaning he was either 17 or 18 when he was gunned down on Feb. 9, 2021. By that point, he had been fighting for more than two years. In a 2018 interview filmed during the battle for Hodeidah, Tomer looks small and camera-shy standing next to the same adult journalist who would extol his courage after his death. Before Hodeidah, Tomer is reported to have fought on the border with Saudi Arabia. Early photos posted online by admiring fans clearly show a child in military gear.