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On December 17, 2023, the Saudi Al-Watan daily reported that Tehran has provided its proxy Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) with significant amounts of weapons and explosives since April 2022, and warned that these weapons would pose unprecedented challenges for vessel traffic in the Red Sea.[1]
Yemen Has Become A "Giant Storehouse For Iranian Weapons And Explosives"
The Saudi daily cited "a source in Sanaa," saying that Yemen has essentially become a "giant storehouse for Iranian weapons and explosives." The article notes that weapons shipments took place during the April 2023 ceasefire between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, with the militias affiliated with it.
"Since the April 2, 2022, the beginning of the ceasefire, Iran has smuggled large amounts of weapons into Yemen. And in November 2023, a large amount of new, high-quality weapons and munitions entered Al-Hudaydah Port, smuggled on the board of 79 Iranian ships," the report stated.
According to the source, these munitions are sent to the Houthis to use against the "Yemeni people." The munitions include naval and land mines, sniper rifles, and night-vision equipment.
"Houthis Will Use Weapons In Red Sea"
Warning that the Houthi threat to naval shipping routes in the Red Sea will soon pose "large and unprecedented challenges," the Saudi daily claims that Tehran plans to "soon deploy mines on some of the routes." The article further claimed that Tehran has provided the Houthis with gunboats, adding that some Iranian naval experts are involved in the implementation of the plan.
Background
Since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, the Houthis have claimed dozens of attacks on Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea to pressure Israel to end its air-and-ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip.
[1] Alwatan, December 17, 2023.
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