Iran flew senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, military advisers, and missile- and drone-related equipment into Houthi-controlled Yemen earlier this month, Reuters reported, citing four sources familiar with the operation.

The July 13 Mahan Air flight departed Tehran carrying between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders. It was initially scheduled to land in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa but was diverted to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah after forces aligned with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government struck Sanaa airport.

One Iranian source said the commanders were sent to support Houthi military operations and train fighters to use new missile systems. The aircraft also carried gold intended to finance further Houthi activities. Regional security analyst Mzahem Alsaloum said some of the cargo included components for short- and medium-range missiles and drones similar to weapons previously used against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Moammar al-Iryani, information minister in Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said the deployment was intended to strengthen the Houthis’ military capabilities and prepare them to threaten shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Three days after the flight arrived, Iran instructed the Houthis to prepare to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States attacked Iranian power infrastructure.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the flight was intended to return a Houthi delegation and Yemeni medical patients from Iran. Tehran has repeatedly denied providing the Houthis with missile capabilities, while Houthi officials did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)