The Houthis have a large arsenal of weapons, including missiles and drones. The Yemeni rebels could not have done this without foreign help, according to a new UN report. The Houthis have used these weapons to target ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Aden.
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The Houthi rebels could not have amassed their dangerous arsenal without extensive assistance from Iran and its forces in the Middle East, according to a new UN report.
In the lengthy report, delivered to the UN Security Council last month, a panel of experts concluded that the Yemen-based Houthis are receiving training, weapons, technical assistance and financial support from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi armed groups. .
The Houthis are behind a year-long campaign targeting the main commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They have launched more than 130 attacks – primarily using missiles and drones – against commercial and Western naval vessels.
The rebels attacked a number of merchant ships during their campaign, sinking two and hijacking one (almost a year later, the crew is still being held in Yemen). Four sailors have been killed so far as a result of the attacks.
Houthi missile launch from Yemen. Houthi media/Screengrab via X
The committee of experts said in its report that the Houthis took advantage of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and through their attacks they tried to strengthen their position within the so-called Iranian “axis of resistance,” which is a group of proxy forces around the Strip. The Middle East.
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The Houthis held a military parade in September 2023, during which the group boasted a massive arsenal of anti-ship missiles, ballistic and cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, drones, naval drones, speedboats, surveillance systems, and mines.
However, experts said the Houthis do not have the capacity to produce and develop such complex weapons without foreign assistance. They also said the insurgents likely received external assistance in identifying, locating and targeting merchant ships, as many had turned off their automatic identification systems before entering the area.
Effects of the Houthi attack on a commercial tanker. EU Operation Aspides via AP
“The scale, nature and extent of various transfers of military equipment and technology provided to the Houthis from external sources, including financial support and training of their fighters, is unprecedented,” the experts wrote in their report.
US Navy forces have repeatedly intercepted ships illegally trying to smuggle weapons from Iran to the Houthis. One such mission in January resulted in the confiscation of parts of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
The Pentagon has maintained a naval presence in and around the Red Sea throughout the Houthi campaign, during which US warships have routinely intercepted their missiles and drones. In addition, US forces carried out major air strikes against rebels in Yemen.
Together, US and British forces destroyed more than 800 Houthi missiles and drones, and seized command positions, radars and weapons storage facilities, the UN panel of experts said.
