A Houthi-appointed ambassador in Tehran uncovered for the first time the presence of a military relationship between Iran and the rebel group.
Despite being considered by the legitimate government as a “fake ambassador,” the Houthi official unknowingly admitted the presence of ties between the two sides, particularly at the military level.
Houthi-controlled media outlets published on Sunday photos showing its claimed ambassador Ibrahim Mohamed al-Dailami with Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami.
The Houthi version of Saba news agency said that Dailami discussed with the Iranian minister joint cooperation, adding that the ambassador praised relations between Tehran and Houthis at all levels.
The news agency also quoted sources saying that Hatami stressed the need to enhance and enforce relations between the Iranian army and Houthi militias, which he referred to as “the Yemeni Army.”
The Hatami-Dailami meeting in Tehran and the statements delivered by the two men are considered the first official revelation about the bond between both sides.
Since their coup against the government in 2014, Houthis deny receiving military support from Iran, although the international community has uncovered the smuggling of Iranian arms into Yemen.
Two weeks ago, the US said it seized a major shipment of Iranian weapons bound for Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Recent western reports uncovered the size of the Iranian military presence in Yemen, revealing that it's managed by senior Revolutionary Guards commander Abdul-Reza Shahlai and around 400 Guards members.
Last Dec. 5, the US State Department said it was offering $15 million for information on Yemen-based Iranian Guards senior Commander Shahlai's "financial activities, networks, and associates.”
Last May, IRGC deputy commander Admiral Ali Fadavi said that Iran helps the Houthis as much as it can but not as much as it would like to, due to the “blockade of Yemen.”
