on Friday 1 November, 2024
UNSC confirms the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Houthis, supports the report of Yemen's (P.T.O.C) Platform
A handout picture released by the US Central Command on Feb. 15, 2024, shows a shipment the US military said is of Iranian weapons destined for Yemen's Houthi rebels. — CENTCOM
The UN expert team responsible for Yemen (Sanctions Committee) revealed in its final report submitted to the United Nations Security Council in mid-October last year the smuggling of large shipments of small arms, light weapons, shell components, surveillance equipment, lethal drones, and electronic devices by sea from Iranian naval bases to the Houthis in Yemen.
The UN report supports what was revealed by the Platform for Tracking Organized Crime and Money Laundering in Yemen (P.T.O.C) in its report titled "Arms and Smuggling Fighters", that the Houthis heavily rely on arms smuggling by boats across the Red Sea, through African smugglers and mafias, under the supervision of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and is then transported to several countries bordering the Red Sea (Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan) before being assembled and delivered to the Houthis through the port of Hodeidah. The report confirmed the smuggling of three shipments of large quantities of small arms and light weapons by sea from Iran to the Houthis between July and September 2022, where these weapons were transported on a sailing vessel crewed by Yemeni nationals provided by Iranian authorities. The first transport process included 9,000 assault rifles. The second and third transport processes included assault rifles, light and heavy machine guns. The weapons were packed in green bags. The first transport process originated from the Bandar Abbas port belonging to the Iranian Navy in Hormozgan Province, while the next two transport operations originated from the Chabahar port belonging to the Iranian Navy, with the crew members housed in an apartment in this port. During these transport operations, weapon shipments were unloaded onto smaller boats 12 nautical miles off the coast, near the Yemeni-Omani border.
The Platform for Tracking Organized Crime and Money Laundering in Yemen (P.T.O.C) had clarified in its report that Iran uses the Bandar Abbas and Jask ports to smuggle weapons to the Houthis through routes starting from Iran through the coasts of Al Mahra Governorate, then from Somalia and Djibouti to the port of Hodeidah. The UN report revealed that the planning for this operation was carried out by Houthi leader Abdullah Yahya Al-Hakim "Abu Ali Al-Hakim", head of the Military Intelligence and Reconnaissance Authority. In Iran, the procurement director at the Defense Ministry appointed by the Houthis, Mohammed Ahmad Al-Talbi, and "Abu Layth" monitored the transport operations. It is believed that these officers are part of a communication cell that coordinates the transfer of weapons to the area under Houthi control and monitors them. On January 11, 2024, the United States intercepted a stateless sailing vessel carrying guided missile components destined for the Houthis near the Somali coast. The seized items included guidance systems and warheads for anti-ship guided projectiles, five liquid fuel engines, four turbine pump assemblies, multiple components for short-range rocket-propelled grenades, and 14 thermal cameras. The guided anti-ship projectiles have similar characteristics to the Iranian Ghadir projectile and the Iranian 351 model for ground attack projectiles. On January 28, 2024, the United States intercepted a stateless sailing vessel in the Arabian Sea. The seized materials included 200 bags containing explosives, 17 Dehlaviye anti-tank missile launch platforms, components for unmanned underwater vehicles, three electro-optical surveillance systems, tools for manufacturing recoilless guns mounted on tripod stands or carried, 120mm and 81mm mortar shells. The UN team confirmed that some of these components resemble those of the short-range Volcano-3 projectile launched by the Houthis on March 7, 2021, in Dammam Governorate, Saudi Arabia. The United States Central Command reported the seizure of components of unmanned underwater vehicles and the recent destruction of two vehicles of this type, believed to have been used by the Houthis. This implies the availability of this weapons system and the Houthis' ability to use it, posing a new and serious threat to maritime security as it can cause significant damage to targeted ships.
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