Iran Sends Commanders and Missile Gear to Yemen's Houthis: Sources
Iran has transferred commanders from its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), military advisers, and missile- and drone-related equipment to Yemen this month, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The move appears aimed at strengthening the Houthi group's ability to threaten shipping in the Red Sea, a key global trade route.
The personnel and equipment were flown on a Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Yemen on July 13, the sources said. Two Iranian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told Reuters that between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, were aboard. The plane originally intended to land in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, but diverted to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah after the airport came under attack by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
One source said the IRGC commanders were there to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems. The source added that gold was also sent on the aircraft to fund Houthi activities.
The deployment offers fresh evidence of Iran's efforts to bolster the Houthis, who have been fighting a civil war against the internationally recognised Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, for more than a decade. The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on regional neighbours, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran's foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment. Tehran has repeatedly denied providing the Houthis with missile capabilities. A Houthi media official who said he was aboard the plane dismissed the allegations as “lies and fabrications”, saying all passengers were civilians. The Houthis have also denied being an Iranian proxy and say they develop their own weapons.
Three days after the flight arrived, Reuters reported that Tehran had asked the Houthis to be ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States struck Iranian power infrastructure, posing a fresh threat to global energy supplies. On Monday, the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in response to the July 13 bombing of Sanaa airport, which they blamed on Saudi Arabia. The move effectively ended a four-year truce between Riyadh and the Houthis. The threat escalated further on Thursday when the group said it had attacked two Saudi oil tankers.
Moammar al-Iryani, information minister in Yemen's Saudi-backed government, confirmed the transfer of IRGC personnel and equipment in a telephone interview with Reuters, citing intelligence. “Their mission is to strengthen the militias’ military capabilities and prepare them to threaten international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait,” he said.
Mzahem Alsaloum, a security and intelligence analyst who has tracked the Houthis and other Iranian-backed groups for years, also confirmed the arrival of IRGC experts on the July 13 flight. He said some of the cargo included components for short- and medium-range missiles and drones, similar to weapons previously used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. According to Alsaloum, Tehran also sent military advisers to Yemen during last year's war with Israel through Somalia, a claim denied by Iran.
The Houthis announced direct flights between Sanaa and Tehran earlier this month, saying the service would help break what they described as a Saudi-imposed blockade on Yemen. At a press conference in Tehran on July 20, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the July 13 flight was intended to return a Houthi delegation that had travelled to Tehran for the funeral of Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash in May. The spokesperson did not comment on the presence of IRGC personnel or military equipment.
