File image.
The Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) linked to Yemen’s international-recognized government announced on August 6 that it had seized a shipment of loitering munitions and drone components that was enroute to the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
In a statement, the service said that shipment was seized from a ship originally bound for the Houthi-controlled port of al-Hodeidah.
“The seizure came after the Counter-Terrorism Service received accurate intelligence indicating the presence of a number of suspicious containers on board the ship coming from China, which was headed to the port of Hodeidah. Due to the recent bombing of the port, the ship changed course to the container port dock in the free zone in Aden. Based on this information, the Service notified the Attorney General, Judge Qaher Mustafa, on August 2, 2025, who in turn directed the Specialized Criminal Prosecution and the Counter-Terrorism Service to take urgent legal action,” the statement reads.
The last Israeli attack on al-Hodeidah was on July 21. At the time, Israeli combat drones struck infrastructure at the port. It is possible that the strikes were carried out to divert the ship.
The CTS shared photos of the seized shipment. The photos purportedly show small jet engines and other electronic and mechanical parts involved in the manufacturing of drones.
Click to see full-size image. (Counter-Terrorism Service)
Click to see full-size image. (Counter-Terrorism Service)
Click to see full-size image. (Counter-Terrorism Service)
However, what stands out is what appears to be several loitering munitions that appears to be nearly identical to the FW30 manufactured by China’s SkyWing UAV.
The FW30 features a combat design with retractable wings and the ability to launch from a tube. It weighs just six kilograms with an endurance of 30 minutes and a maximum range of 30 kilometers. The loitering munition is equipped with an electro-optical system and a data-link with a range of 20 kilometers. It can carry a payload of 1,5 kg, and the company implies that it can be equipped with a fragmentation warhead.
On its website, SkyWing UAV offers the loitering munition for $13,000 and there is even a “BUY IT NOW” option. It is unclear, however, if the loitering munition can be purchased by anyone without a warhead, as a hubby drone. It is possible that this is how the Houthis or some other side was able to ship them to Yemen.
Click to see full-size image. (Counter-Terrorism Service)
Click to see full-size image. (Counter-Terrorism Service)
Click to see full-size image. (Counter-Terrorism Service)
This was the second such shipment to be seized by forces loyal to the Yemeni government before it could reach the Houthis in recent weeks.
On July 16, the National Resistance Force said that it had seized 750 tons of weapons and ammunition which were enroute from Iran to the group. The shipment, which included anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, was seized in the Red Sea.
In a report released earlier this year, the New Arab said that China was playing a direct or an indirect role in enhancing the capabilities of the Houthis.
Western officials told the outlet’s Arabic version, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the group has increasingly deployed advanced weaponry and systems of Chinese origin, marking a departure from their previous reliance on Russian and Iranian equipment.
The shipment seized by the CTS may be the first evidence of such support, or just a stunt meant to pressure China over its good relations with Houthis.
The Houthis are allowing Chinese ships to pass through the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb strait “untouched,” thanks to apparent backdoor agreements, Barron’s said in a report released on August 7, just a day after the seizure of the shipment.
A campaign by the Houthis to pressure Israel over its war on the Gaza Strip has very much limited Western shipping via the Red Sea. Two ships were sunk by the group near al-Hodeidah earlier this year.
In exchange for guaranteeing China, Russia, and Iran safe transit and hybrid warfare on Western assets, the Houthis are getting intelligence, weaponry, and diplomatic assistance from the axis, according to the report.
It is important to note that these serious accusations come amid reports of an Israel plan to launch a large-scale attack on Yemen.
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‘intl recognized’ puppet state and its masters usil+ states sponsored terror is worse than independentists fight against global tyranny and for their self determination.