Mahan flights: the IRGC accused of sending missile parts to the Houthis

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is accused of using Mahan Air flights to send paramilitary officers, drone parts, missile guidance systems and explosive detonators to Yemen, and of playing a direct role in the Houthis' advance in western Yemen and their most powerful attacks on Saudi Arabia. The allegations were made by the Wall Street Journal in an investigative report, and both the Islamic Republic and the Houthis have denied them.

According to the report, the IRGC's help to the Houthis ranges from training and intelligence to tactical guidance and assistance in targeting drone and missile attacks, and IRGC officers have directed the Houthis' attacks from the front line. This help has been linked to the Houthis' September offensive and to the Mahan flights in July; the United States has sanctioned the airline for years for carrying weapons and personnel for the IRGC.

Arab coalition: a foreign state is behind the Houthi arsenal

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, confirmed that a foreign state actor is behind the transformation of the Houthi arsenal, though he did not name it. According to him, the Houthis have acquired advanced technology with regional help and have become the first non-state group to use ballistic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and explosive-laden speedboats.

Yemeni experts also say that IRGC and Hezbollah experts run the Houthis' operational planning. European officials had earlier said the Islamic Republic used small submarines to deliver weapons to Yemen, and joint Yemeni forces had seized smuggled shipments in that area before the Houthis took control of the Mocha coast in September.

Houthi attacks on Saudi cities

In recent weeks, dozens of Houthi drones and missiles have targeted Saudi territory. The attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh left 13 dead, and Saudi energy facilities and oil tankers have also been targeted. Since September the Houthis have controlled Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf Cooperation Council states have called for them to be designated terrorists.

The IRGC is accused of directing the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia with officers and missile parts sent on Mahan aircraft.