The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Pakpour, offered condolences over the killing of Yemeni Houthi military chief Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari in an Israeli strike and pledged to deepen ties with the Iran-aligned group.
In a message to Ghamari’s successor, Brigadier General Yusuf Hassan al-Madani, Pakpour hailed the slain commander’s “heroic struggle in defending Yemen’s sovereignty and confronting Zionist crimes,” saying his death had “etched a lasting chapter in the history of Yemeni resistance.”
“The IRGC renews its commitment to the lofty ideals of the resistance front and the liberation of al-Quds al-Sharif,” Pakpour said, using the Arabic name for Jerusalem.
“We declare our full readiness to strengthen spiritual and strategic bonds with Yemen’s armed forces in confronting global arrogance and international Zionism.”
He congratulated al-Madani on his appointment, calling him a “steadfast fighter” whose leadership would “continue the proud path of the martyr Ghamari and reinforce the resistance front against the enemies of the Islamic nation.”
The message followed confirmation by Yemen’s Houthi forces last week that Ghamari, their military chief of staff since 2016, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israel said the attack, which also killed the Houthi-appointed prime minister, targeted senior officials involved in hundreds of missile and drone operations against Israel.
The Houthis -- backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah -- have intensified drone and missile strikes against Israel since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. Israeli air raids in Yemen this year have killed dozens of senior Houthi figures and civilians, according to local health authorities.
Yemen remains split between the Iran-backed Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and much of the north and west since 2014, and the internationally recognized government led by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) formed in April 2022. Despite a Saudi-led intervention launched in 2015, the Houthis still rule areas housing about two-thirds of Yemen’s population, while the PLC governs parts of the south and east.
Analysts say the group remains heavily dependent on Iranian support for advanced weapon systems, including ballistic missiles and precision-guided drones.
Earlier reports indicated the militia has turned increasingly to drone warfare as shipments of missile components from Iran have been disrupted by naval interceptions.
Tehran denies direct involvement in the Houthis’ attacks but continues to publicly back the group’s campaign against what it calls Zionist aggression and Western hegemony in the region.
