A vessel smuggling foreign experts and military materials for missile production destined for Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen has gone missing in the Red Sea, media report disclosed.
The vessel, now missing for three days, has triggered a patrol and reconnaissance mission by the Houthis, as reported by UAE-based Al-Ain news website.
"Iranian experts and senior Houthi security officials participated in a special meeting held in Sanaa to review and discuss a report on the large boat that was lost in the Red Sea," the report added, citing informed sources.
Security sources in Yemen revealed to Al-Ain that the Houthi militias lost contact with the large transport boat that was on a smuggling mission via a regular sea route from the Horn of Africa countries to the coasts of the governorate overlooking the Red Sea.
Al-Ain news website cited Yemeni security sources who confirmed the ship was expected to arrive in on Friday but disappeared on Saturday.
The Houthis, lacking a robust navy, have mobilized small boats and drones for the search, but their fishing boats lack the necessary technology for such operations. No distress calls have been detected.
Speculation is rife that the ship may have been targeted by the US-backed Prosperity Guardian mission, aimed at protecting Red Sea shipping from Houthis attacks.
The Houthis fear the vessel could have been intercepted by US or European navies, given the intensified crackdown on Iranian arms shipments.