Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen earlier this month, sources reported to Reuters
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The flight from Tehran on July 13 carried between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, according to two Iranian sources. The aircraft was originally bound for the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa but diverted to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah after the airport came under attack by Yemen's Saudi-backed government.
"The IRGC commanders travelled there to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems," one source said, adding that Iran also sent gold to fund Houthi activities.
Yemen's information minister, Moammar al-Iryani, confirmed the transfers, citing intelligence, and said the mission was to "strengthen the militias' military capabilities and prepare them to threaten international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait."
Security analyst Mzahem Alsaloum, who has tracked the Houthis for years, said the cargo included components for short- and medium-range missiles and drones, weapons systems similar to those previously used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Three days after the flight arrived, Tehran asked the Houthis to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the US struck Iranian power infrastructure, Reuters reported. On Monday, the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, signalling the end of a four-year truce.
On Thursday, the group said it had attacked two Saudi oil tankers, escalating threats to one of the world's top maritime trade routes.
Iran's foreign ministry denied the transfers, with spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying the July 13 flight was intended to return a Houthi delegation that had gone to Tehran for the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with Yemeni citizens who had received medical treatment.
