Washington UNI Jan 16
American and Middle East officials believe that commanders and military advisers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are allegedly deployed in Yemen and play a direct role in organising attacks on merchant ships by Yemen’s rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, in the Red Sea, the Semafor news portal reported on Monday.
The IRGC has deployed trainers and operators of drones and missiles, as well as personnel providing tactical intelligence support to the Houthis, in Yemen, the report said, adding that Iran’s military also allegedly controlled the transfer of combat drones, cruise missiles, and medium-range ballistic missiles to the Houthis, which were used to strike ships in the Red Sea.
The IRGC forces in Yemen are allegedly commanded by Gen. Abdul Reza Shahlai, whom the United States tried to assassinate in 2020 during the presidency of Donald Trump, the report read.
Officials said that Tehran significantly increased its military support for the Houthis in the mid-2010s, when Yemen engaged in armed clashes with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the news portal reported.
