A U.S. Coast Guard vessel intercepted a vessel carrying lethal aid from Iran intended for the Houthis in Yemen late last month.
U.S. Central Command announced on Thursday morning that the U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. located and boarded the vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28.
The vessel was transporting “over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components,” according to CENTCOM.
The Houthis, the Iranian-backed rebel group that controls territory in western Yemen, began attacking commercial vessels in mid-November, which they said was in response to Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas. They have launched rockets and drones at more than 30 vessels attempting to transit the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, forcing commercial shipping companies to reroute their vessels on longer journeys to avoid the threat.
“This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”
The U.S. has sought to avoid a regional conflict but they ultimately began carrying out strikes designed to degrade their abilities to carry out these attacks, though the Houthis still have some of their capabilities because attacks, or attempted attacks stopped by U.S. forces, continued as recently as this week.
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Last month, Navy SEALs operating from the USS Lewis B. Puller boarded a dhow near the coast of Somalia in international waters of the Arabian Sea that was a weapons shipment from Iran intended for the Houthis. During this interdiction, U.S. forces recovered ballistic and cruise missile components, propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles. Two SEALs were lost at sea during the mission and were presumed dead.
Earlier this month, the Defense Intelligence Agency confirmed that the Houthis are using Iranian-produced drones.
