Yemeni fighters intercepted 750 tons of Iranian missiles, warheads, radar systems and other weapons headed to Houthi rebels inside Yemen. U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, congratulated the fighters on the bust.
Weapons seized
“Congratulations to the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF), led by Gen. Tareq Saleh, for the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in their history,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.
For years, American naval forces and Western allies have seized Iranian arms bound for the Houthis. This is the first major bust by the NRF, according to the AP.
Neither the Houthis nor Iran acknowledged the bust, which reportedly happened in June. Iran also continues to deny arming the Houthis despite evidence of Iranian weapons on Yemeni battlefields.
CENTCOM said there were manuals in Farsi, and many of the systems were manufactured by a company affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
Fighting the Houthis
This group of fighters who made the bust are allied with Yemen’s government, exiled when the Houthis took hold of the country in 2014.
“We commend the legitimate government forces of Yemen who continue to interdict the flow of Iranian munitions bound for the Houthis,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, said 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 [critical] to regional security, stability and freedom of navigation.”
Following the takeover, a Saudi-led coalition armed with American weapons entered the war on the government’s side in 2015. The war has killed more than 150,000 people and created one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
The Houthis also continue to attack in other parts of the world, specifically the Red Sea and Israel.
On Wednesday, July 16, rebels fired a missile into southern Israel that was intercepted by the IDF.
Rebels also attacked two ships in the Red Sea during the week of July 6, killing at least three people. They’ve targeted the Red Sea to impact trade routes.
US vs. Houthi rebels
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has authorized more than 500 U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
The strikes began in March and have continued, targeting weapons facilities and Houthi leaders. The rebels have fought back, shooting down U.S. drones and continuing attacks in the Red Sea.
