U.S. intercepts Iranian weapons heading to Houthis

Photo: The U.S. intercepted a shipment of Iranian weapons (Getty Images)

The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a shipment of weapons from Iran that was bound for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, reports Bloomberg.

U.S. Central Command said that when its forces boarded the vessel, they found more than 200 packages containing a variety of lethal equipment, including components for medium-range ballistic missiles, explosives, and anti-tank guided missile launchers intended to support the Houthis.

General Michael Erik Kurilla said that this is another example of Iran’s malicious activity in the region.

“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,” he explained.

U.S. operation due to Houthi attacks on ships in Red Sea

Since November of last year in the Red Sea Yemeni Houthis have continued to attack commercial vessels connected to Israel. In January, the terrorist group struck the biggest blow. The U.S. and British militaries repulsed the attack in the Red Sea.

In early January, the United States and Britain launched powerful strikes on targets associated with the Houthis in Yemen. This was in response to the Houthis’ constant attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea.

On January 28, it was reported that a Houthi drone attacked a British warship in the Red Sea, and the very next day the Yemeni Houthis reported that they allegedly attacked an American destroyer. However, the Pentagon denied the militants’ statement.

Before that, on February 6, it was reported that a British cargo ship was attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea.

Already on February 7, the Houthis launched 6 anti-ship ballistic missiles from the territory of Yemen in the direction of two commercial ships in the southern part of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They did not damage the ships, and one of the missiles was intercepted and shot down by the U.S. military.

Two days later, the U.S. military carried out a series of strikes on Houthi cruise missiles and surface-to-air drones in Yemen.