Iran’s terrorist commander in Yemen

Noura Bendari

Recent Houthi attacks against the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Gazan have opened the door for debates on the role Abdul Reza Shahla’I plays inside the Iran-backed militia.

Shahla’I, a key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander, is known to be instrumental in encouraging the Houthis to stage attacks against Saudi Arabia, at a time the world is busy fighting the coronavirus.

Who is he?

Abdul Reza Shahla’I was born in 1957. He is the intelligence arm of Iran’s mullahs in the Arab region.

This man started emerging as an important figure since the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. He masterminded the assassination of a large number of American officials along with bomb attacks in different Iraqi cities.

Shahla’I offered financial and logistical support to a large number of Shiite groups in Iraq. He sent the members of these groups to Tehran to receive training. He also founded other groups that were loyal to Iran.

He then travelled to Yemen where he took over the command of the Quds Force. His job was to offer whatever support the Houthis needed.

The Iranian regime used Shahla’I in assassinating Iranian opposition figures. He was involved in an attempt on the life of Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain put him in a terror list for attempting the assassination of the Saudi minister.

World’s most dangerous terrorist

The U.S. designates Shahla’I as one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world.

On December 11, 2019, the U.S. government earmarked $15 million for those who would provide it with information about Shahla’I.

The U.S. tried to kill Shahla’I in January 2020, following the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani.