IRANIAN warmongers directly commanding Houthi operations have been unmasked, The Sun can reveal.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have repeatedly attacked merchant vessels in the Red Sea with drones – sinking at least two and killing four sailors.
And Israel has been forced to intercept two missile attacks since the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire this week.
Trump has warned Iran to stop arming the Houthis as he threatened to “completely annihilate” the terror proxy.
The US president said he would hold Tehran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Houthis.
Iran has consistently refuted accusations of supplying weapons to the terror proxy, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asserting that the Houthis operate independently based on their own motives.
But sources inside Iran have exposed how Houthi activities are being directly commanded by senior members of Tehran’s IRGC Quds Force.
One key figure involved is IRGC Brigadier General Abdolreza Shahlai, who holds authority over all military, political, and economic aspects linked to the Iranian regime’s intervention in Yemen, including overseeing all Houthi assaults.
Among his damning track record was a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, which was foiled in October 2011.
Operating from the Quds Force headquarters in the Qasr-e Firouzeh district, Shahlai, also known as Haj Yusuf, is the subject of a $15 million (£11.5m) bounty on his capture.
Other key figures involved in directing Houthi actions are Quds Force commander-in-chief Brigadier General Ismail Qaani, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Fallahzadeh, deputy Quds Force commander, and an IRGC commander nicknamed Abu Fatemeh.
Major General Gholam Ali Rashid meanwhile heads the Khatam al-Anbiya command headquarters – the highest commanding body of the regime’s armed forces.
It is primarily responsible for military affairs in Yemen.
Names of senior IRGC figures directing Houthi actions have been uncovered by the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran’s network inside Iran, comprised of sources inside various regime institutions including the IRGC.
General guidelines for escalation of war by the Houthis are set by the Supreme National Council in Tehran.
Ultimately, all the political and military affairs of Yemen are finalised and approved by the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office under his personal supervision.
Insiders say Khamenei has personally emphasised the importance of Houthi attacks and the necessity of sending weapons and equipment for the Houthis to IRGC commanders and regime officials.
The Houthis work in coordination with Iran’s proxies in Iraq, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Its tentacles are spread through the Middle East region, with a representative from the group based in Tehran.
The Houthis also have an office in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, in Iraq’s Al-Jadriya district and its capital Baghdad.
The Quds Force has previously assigned Houthi training to be carried out by Hezbollah terrorists.
Drone and missile attacks on more than 100 ships in the Red Sea by the Houthis have significantly impacted global trade since late 2023.
The Houthis earlier said they will continue their assaults until hostilities cease in Gaza in solidarity with their ally, Hamas.
They briefly paused attacks during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which collapsed this week.
Shahin Gobadi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, told The Sun: “The mullahs’ regime is the head of the snake of war and crisis in the region.
“It has survived on pervasive repression of the Iranian people and export of crises, belligerence, and terrorism.
“Export of terrorism, extremism, and belligerence is part of the clerical regime’s DNA, and as long as it is in power, the region will not see peace and tranquility.
“The Iranian people’s desire and the only solution to the Iranian crisis is the regime’s overthrow by the Iranian people.
“But overthrowing the regime does not happen by itself, and an organised resistance and a force on the ground are the necessary elements to do the job.”
Iran has routinely denied arming Houthi rebels, despite physical evidence, numerous seizures and experts tying the weapons to Tehran.
Regime leaders likely use denial to avoid sanctions for violating a United Nations arms embargo on the Houthis.
Iran has for years been aligned with groups across the region that describe themselves as the “Axis of Resistance” to Israeli and US influence.
Those groups include Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and various Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq.
It comes as Israel on Thursday was forced to intercept a missile launched by the Houthis in the second attack since the ceasefire fell through.
Houthi rebels have reignited attacks as the US intensifies airstrikes against the Iran-backed militant group.
They said the missile targeted Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s main aviation hub on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
The terror proxy also claimed to target aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and several US warships in the Red Sea with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.
Furious Trump threatened the Houthis in a post on his Truth Social platform – warning the group “will be completely annihilated”.
Tensions are simmering in the Middle East region as Israel restored its offensive against Hamas, another terror proxy backed by Iran.
US President Trump implored Iran to stop sending military supplies to the Houthis “immediately”.
He said: “Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse.”
Khamenei hits back saying Americans “make a big mistake and call regional resistance centres Iranian proxies”.
“The Yemeni nation has its own motivation and the resistance groups in the region have their own motivations. Iran doesn’t need proxies,” he said.
“They issue threats…[but] we have never started a confrontation or conflict with anyone.
“However, if anyone acts with malice and initiates it, they will receive severe slaps.”
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships – but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls large swaths of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Their warped battle cry is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
In October 2023, the rebel group began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring.
The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza were felt across the region – with Iran accused of stoking the chaos.
The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
The group’s chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s terror proxy appears undeterred.
The UK and US hit Houthi bases after the terror group targeted boats in the shipping lane.
Israel has also hammered the group with airstrikes, reportedly hitting oil storage tanks at the port in Al Hudaydah.
