Iran Sent IRGC Commanders, Missile Equipment To Yemen's Houthis On July Flight: Report

Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers, and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen aboard a July 13 flight from Tehran, according to four sources cited by Reuters, suggesting Tehran is seeking to strengthen the military capabilities of its Houthi allies as tensions over Red Sea shipping continue to rise.

According to Reuters, the transfer comes as the Houthis have escalated their campaign by announcing a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and claiming attacks on Saudi oil tankers, raising concerns over the security of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Four sources familiar with the matter, including two Iranian sources, Yemen's information minister and a regional security analyst, told Reuters that the Mahan Air flight carried IRGC personnel along with military-related equipment. The aircraft was originally bound for the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, but diverted to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah after Sanaa airport came under attack by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Reuters has not previously reported the transfer.

The two Iranian sources said between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, were on board the aircraft.

"The IRGC commanders travelled there to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems," one of the sources said, adding that Iran also sent gold on the aircraft to fund Houthi activities.

The two Iranian sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

The deployment offers fresh evidence of Iran's backing of the Houthis, who have been fighting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government in a civil war for more than a decade and have carried out missile and drone attacks against Gulf neighbours.

Iran's foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment. Tehran has repeatedly denied providing the Houthi movement in Yemen with missile capabilities.

Abdel Rahman al-Ahnomi, a Houthi media official who said he was aboard the aircraft, rejected the allegations.

He described the claims that Iran sent military experts to Yemen as "lies and fabrications", adding that all passengers aboard the plane were civilians.

The Houthis have previously denied acting as an Iranian proxy and have said they develop their own weapons.

Three days after the flight arrived in Yemen, Reuters reported that Tehran had asked the Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States struck Iranian power infrastructure, posing a potential threat to global energy supplies.

On Monday, the Houthis, whose territory overlooks the waterway, announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in response to the July 13 bombing of Sanaa airport, which they said was carried out by Saudi Arabia.

The moves signalled the end of a four-year truce between Riyadh and the Houthis. Their threat to one of the world's top maritime trade routes 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 military equipment during a telephone interview with Reuters on Wednesday, 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 the IRGC experts on the July 13 flight.

He said some of the cargo included components related to short- and medium-range missiles and drones, weapons systems similar to those 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, routing them through Somalia, a claim denied by Tehran.

Earlier this month, the Houthis announced direct flights between Sanaa and Tehran, 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 to Sanaa was intended to return a Houthi delegation that had travelled to Tehran for the funeral of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with Yemeni citizens who had received medical treatment in Iran.

On July 3, the aircraft flew about 200 people, including senior officials, women and children, from Yemen to Iran for the funeral. According to Reuters, the July 13 return flight carried members of the delegation as well as the IRGC commanders and advisers. Before it could land in Sanaa, the Saudi-backed government struck the airport, forcing the aircraft to divert to Houthi-controlled Hodeidah.

The Houthi military said the Saudi warplanes that launched the airport attack were forced to leave Yemeni airspace.