US Central Command on Wednesday said that Yemeni partners had intercepted a shipment of Iranian weapons bound for the Houthis.
In a statement, Centcom, which oversees US military interests in the Middle East, congratulated the Yemeni National Resistance Forces for what it called “the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in their history”.
“The NRF intercepted and seized over 750 tonnes of munitions and hardware to include hundreds of advanced cruise, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads and seekers, components as well as hundreds of drone engines, air defence equipment, radar systems and communications equipment,” Centcom said.
It added that the NRF had found manuals written in Farsi and that many of the seized systems were manufactured by a company affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defence that is under US sanctions.
Centcom chief Gen Michael Erik Kurilla commended the NRF. “The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilising actor in the region. Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critic to regional security, stability, and freedom of navigation,” he said.
The NRF is a coalition of former members of the Yemeni Republican Guard and the Central Security Organisation. It backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which was deposed in 2014 after the Houthis captured the capital Sanaa.
The Houthis, who control much of southern Yemen, are allied with Iran. In support of Hamas in Gaza, the group has been engaged in a continuing conflict with Israel, attacking ships traversing the Red Sea.
The US carried out an extensive bombing campaign against the Houthis earlier this year until the attacks on international shipping ceased. But the Houthis have restarted their campaign in the Red Sea, sinking two vessels and killing several crew in recent weeks.
