Iranian Revolutionary guards officers lead insurgency

The Iranian Crime Research Institute revealed on Monday the names of four military commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who are working alongside Houthi militias in Yemen. They confirmed that the Iranian Defense Ministry has also sent munitions experts in early 2017 to Yemen.

A report by the US-based Iranian Institute considered that: “Three of Iran's top Revolutionary Guards’ commanders were sent to Yemen. They are Col. Ridaa Bassini, Com. Ali al-Rajabi and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Niazi. The three are military experts and are now in Yemen”.

The institute, which tracks Iranian officials alleged to have committed war crimes and human rights abuses, said the mission was to lead the Houthis and their military operations.

The report also pointed out that: “As of early 2017, an ammunition manufacturing team from the Ministry of Defense headed by Bahram Rahnama was sent to Yemen to help build weapons and ammunition for the Houthis,” according to a translation published by Yemeni news websites.

“It is important to note that 1,100 Houthi forces have been trained in one of Iran's Revolutionary Guard camps, and about 250 Houthis are being trained in the Quds Force garrison in the Iranian city of Hamedan,” the report added.

The report also quoted sources as saying that Iran had taken control of the Nora Island off the coast of Eritrea in order to take full control of the situation in Yemen.

The report pointed to Iran's aspiration to take control over the island of Hanish al Kabir in Yemen: “If Iran can seize that island then sending arms and financial aid, as well as controlling the Bab al-Mandab Straits, will be much easier. But so far, it has not been successful.”

The report pointed out that in 2016, the regime in Iran gave about 90 million dollars in aid to the Houthis. Weapons and ammunition were also delivered by naval flocks from the 34th and 44th ranks of the Iranian Navy, all on a mission to protect the area from pirates. Most shipments of arms from Iran are also sent via Bushehr preparatory ships.

Houthis confronted their successive field losses on Monday with a series of appointments in the coup government, in another step to remove the last figures loyal to the General People's Congress party from power.

The coup amendment included 26 decisions and involved the ministers of information, oil and finance, in addition to the “deputy prime minister” seats.

In addition, the Houthi militias appointed three “conservative” figures to head three provinces controlled by the legitimate government including Aden, Abeen and Socotra.

The decisions issued by Saleh al-Sammad, head of the Houthis’ political council and broadcast by the militia’s news agencies, also saw the appointment of a governor in the province of Mahweet and two officers from its militias in the ranks of the intelligence apparatus (political security and national security).

Other appointments covered posts in the customs authorities, the universities of Sanaa and Hodeidah and the supervisory bodies.

Al-Sammad’s decisions however removed pro-Congress figures by appointing the coup “minister of information” as head of the presidential bureau. The also appointed a number of deputy ministers and advisors in posts including in the central bank and judiciary.

The latest Houthi move aims to complete their operation of appointing pro-militia figures in Yemen’s public sector and leading positions, a step they had already started when they invaded Sanaa in September 2014. 

Also on Monday, Houthis arrested two photojournalist brothers working for the Yemen Today television station, now controlled by the militias after the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Member of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, Nabil al-Asidi wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that Houthi militias kidnapped brothers Imad and Ali al-Dayfi and took them to an unknown location, 10 days after arresting them at a checkpoint at the entrance of the Dhamar city while on their way to Aden.