The US Navy said on Tuesday that it intercepted a shipment of sophisticated weaponry from Iran headed for the Houthis in Yemen, the first big seizure of its kind since the start of the militia’s Red Sea attacks.
This comes after the Houthis threatened to strike all US and UK commercial and naval ships in retribution for the two nations’ strikes on Yemen.
US Central Command said on Jan. 11 that US Navy forces stormed a dhow in international waters of the Arabian Sea near the Somalian coast that was transporting sophisticated lethal weapons from Iran to the Houthis.
The weapons found on the dhow consisted of propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, in addition to air defense-associated components.
“Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea,” CENTCOM said in a statement, adding that this is the first weapons capture since November, when the Houthis initiated assaults on ships in the Red Sea, and the first substantial interception of advanced Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missile components since late 2019.
Two US Seals who participated in the mission got lost at sea, and US Navy Marines destroyed the dhow after designating it unsafe, arresting 14 crew members.
Shortly after CENTCOM announced the interception, Yemen’s government accused Iran of continuing to provide the Houthis with modern weaponry and demanded that Iran be punished for breaking international law.
“Yet again another example of the Iranian flagrant violation of international law by continuing to supply the #Houthis with lethal weapons. #Iran must be held accountable!” the Yemeni Embassy in Washington D.C. said on X.
The announcement came a day after the Houthis threatened that all American and British commercial and naval ships would be targeted in response to the two nations’ attacks in regions controlled by them.