July 23 (Reuters) - This month, Iran transported commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), military advisers, and equipment related to missiles and drones to Yemen. This move indicates that Tehran is looking to enhance the Houthi group's capability to threaten shipping routes in the Red Sea.
According to four sources familiar with the situation, including two Iranian officials, Yemen's information minister, and a regional security expert, the transfers occurred on a flight from Tehran to Yemen on July 13. This information has not been reported before.
The sources stated that between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, such as senior commanders, were on the Mahan Air flight.
While the plane was originally headed for the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, it had to change course to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah due to an attack on the airport by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
One source said, “The IRGC commanders were sent to support Houthi operations and train them on new missile systems.” This source also mentioned that Iran sent funding in the form of gold on the flight to support Houthi activities.
The Iranian sources requested anonymity due to security risks.
This deployment adds to evidence of Iran’s efforts to strengthen the Houthis, who have been engaged in a civil war against the internationally recognized Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia for over ten years. The Houthis have also launched missile and drone attacks against Gulf countries.
Iran's foreign ministry could not be reached for immediate comment. Tehran has consistently denied supplying the Houthis with missile capabilities.
Two Houthi officials did not respond to requests for comments. They have previously denied being an Iranian proxy, asserting that they develop their own weapons.
DAYS AFTER COMMANDERS ARRIVED, HOUTHIS LAUNCHED SAUDI BLOCKADE
Three days after the flight landed in Yemen, reports emerged that Tehran had instructed the Houthis to prepare to block the Red Sea oil route in case of a U.S. strike on Iranian infrastructure, which could pose a threat to global energy supplies.
On Monday, the Houthis, who control areas overlooking the waterway, announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia following an airstrike on Sanaa airport, which they attributed to Saudi Arabia.
These actions marked the end of a four-year truce between Riyadh and the Houthis. The group escalated its threats to one of the world's major maritime trade routes on Thursday by claiming to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers.
Moammar al-Iryani, the information minister of Yemen's Saudi-backed government, confirmed the transfers of IRGC personnel and equipment in a phone interview, 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 stated.
Mzahem Alsaloum, a security and intelligence analyst who has followed the Houthis and other Iranian-backed groups for years, also confirmed the arrival of IRGC experts on the July 13 flight.
FLIGHT CARRIED MISSILE AND DRONE COMPONENTS, ANALYST SAYS
He mentioned that some cargo included parts for short- and medium-range missiles and drones, similar to those previously used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
According to Alsaloum, Iran also sent military advisers to Yemen during last year's conflict with Israel, routing them through Somalia. Tehran has denied this claim.
The Houthis had announced new direct flights between Sanaa and Tehran earlier this month, claiming that the service would help break what they called a Saudi-imposed blockade on Yemen.
At a press conference in Tehran on July 20, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the July 13 flight was meant to bring back a Houthi delegation that had attended the funeral of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with Yemeni citizens who received medical treatment in Iran.
On July 3, the plane transported about 200 individuals, including senior officials, women, and children, to Iran for the funeral. On July 13, the same sources stated that the aircraft returned to Yemen carrying members of the delegation along with IRGC commanders and advisers. However, before landing in Sanaa, the Saudi-backed government attacked the airport, which necessitated a diversion to Houthi-controlled Hodeidah.
The Houthi military claimed that the Saudi warplanes responsible for the airport attack were forced to exit Yemeni airspace.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean)