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A force allied to Yemen’s internationally-recognized government announced on July 16 that it had seized 750 tons of weapons and ammunition which were enroute from Iran to the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
The shipment was seized by the National Resistance Force (NRF), a group of fighters allied to Tariq Saleh, a nephew of Yemen’s late president Ali Abdullah Saleh who was killed by the Houthis in 2017.
In a statement, the media office of the pro-government force said that “the shipment was found camouflaged to make it difficult to detect.”
“The strategic weapons were dismantled and hidden inside the bodies of electric generators, industrial machines, and air pumps, while the ammunition was hidden inside the bodies of batteries,” the office added, noting that “the smugglers were traveling west of the international shipping lane in the Red Sea in an attempt to evade the National Resistance naval patrols deployed to secure Yemeni territorial waters and the liberated islands.”
The media office revealed that the operation to seize the large shipment began with the NRF’s General Intelligence Division tracking a suspicious vessel called “Al-Shara,” which is owned by Houthi smugglers, after it sailed from the coast of the Horn of Africa.
“Naval patrols intercepted it at the appropriate location west of the international shipping lane in the Red Sea, towed it, unloaded the shipment, and stored it in fortified warehouses,” it said.
Footage released by the NRF media office showed loads of weapons, including what appeared to be several Iranian-made Noor anti-ship cruise missiles, a copy of China’s C-802 with an active radar guidance and a range of up to 220 kilometers. Parts of an unidentified large anti-aircraft missile were also among the seized weapons.
Notably, several Ghaem-118 drone interceptors were also a part of the shipment. The system, unveiled by Iran very recently, is guided via thermal imaging and has a range of up to 25 kilometers. Another other notable system was what appears to be a light anti-ship cruise missile that was not seen before.
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In addition, the shipment included hundreds of components for drones and missiles, including piston and jet engines, as well as optical seekers. At least one Shahed-101 suicide drone can be also seen in the footage of the shipment. This type is guided via a satellite navigation system and has a range of 900 kilometers.
Multiple electro-optical and electronic intelligence equipment, which are likely used for targeting and surveillance, were also found in the shipment.
Beside these advanced systems, the shipment also included traditional weapons like recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles, anti-material sniper rifles and man-portable anti-aircraft missiles.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) praised the seizure, describing it as the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in the history of the NRF.
“We commend the legitimate government forces of Yemen who continue to interdict the flow of Iranian munitions bound for the Houthis,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, in a statement. “The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region. Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critic to regional security, stability, and freedom of navigation.”
Iran didn’t not commented on the claims made by the NRF and CENTCOM. The Islamic Republic in general denies arming the Houthis, who claim to produce their own weapons.
The Houthis have been waging a military campaign against Israel and Israel-linked shipping since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip over a year ago. In recent weeks, the group sank two ships in the Red Sea and launched more than a dozen missiles and drones at Israel.
The U.S., Israel and even the United Kingdom have launched countless strikes against the Houthis since the start of the year, but failed to deter the group.
Reports from a few months ago revealed that the U.S. was exploring the idea of supporting an offensive against the Houthis along Yemen’s Red Sea coast by government forces, including the NRF. However, such a move remains unlikely as it would respark the war in the country.
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as long as people support democracy, the world will be run by corruption and antichrist zionism.
democracy is the beast that empowers it all.
ok, this just one seizure, so how many shipments have got through undetected?
not enough , this propaganda action could also be to attempt another war with iran
probably allready on route to ukraine then.
mossad mission statement = by way of deception thou shalt do war .
“yemen government” = servile, cringing saudi/ zio puppets.”
the houthis are the government of yemen the houthis are the government of yemen the houthis are the government of yemen
if only they controlled any part of yemen’s coastline, it would be more believable — but they don’t.
so we won’t.
what is this bullshit, the us can supply arms and so on to whoever it wants, and iran cannot?
is it me, or do those seized weapons look like toys or miniatures?
are the weapons toys? it looks like to me… sf could check better things before publish it! lmao
i was saying the same thing. they look like miniatures.
is it me, or do those seized weapons look like toys or miniatures? and the houthi are the real government of yemen. they and their supporters are actually the majority population. the saudi backed rebels are actually the minority.