Yemen Monitor/ Newsroom:
Reuters quoted four informed sources saying that during July, Iran sent commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and military advisors, along with specialized equipment for missiles and drones, to areas under the control of the Houthi group in Yemen. The sources stated that this move reflects Tehran’s efforts to enhance the group’s capabilities to threaten maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
According to the sources, who include two Iranian sources, the Yemeni Information Minister, and a regional security analyst, the personnel and equipment were transported aboard a Mahan Air flight that departed from Tehran to Yemen on July 13, in a previously undisclosed operation.
The Iranian sources said the plane carried between 10 and 21 IRGC elements, including prominent commanders, explaining that the flight’s destination was scheduled for Sana’a Airport before being diverted to the Red Sea port of Hudaidah following an attack on the airport launched by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
Reuters quoted one of the two sources stating that the IRGC leaders headed to Yemen “to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems,” adding that the plane also carried a quantity of gold to fund the group’s activities.
The two Iranian sources noted that they requested anonymity for security reasons.
The sources considered this move new evidence of ongoing Iranian support for the Houthis, who have been fighting a war against the internationally recognized Yemeni government for over a decade and have carried out missile and drone attacks targeting ships and shipping lanes in the region.
Reuters mentioned that it was unable to obtain a comment from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, while Tehran has previously repeatedly denied supplying the Houthis with missile capabilities.
