ADEN, YEMEN – Forces allied with Yemen's internationally recognized government have successfully intercepted a massive 750-ton arms shipment in the Red Sea, a haul they allege was sent by Iran to arm the Houthi rebels. The seizure is being described by officials as one of the largest and most significant interdictions of the decade-long conflict.
The operation was conducted by the National Resistance Forces (NRF), a powerful faction loyal to the Yemeni government and led by Brigadier General Tariq Saleh, a member of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council. In a statement, Saleh declared the seizure a "direct blow" to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its alleged project to destabilize Yemen by arming the Houthi militia.
The sheer scale of the weaponry discovered has stunned observers. According to a detailed list released by the NRF, the shipment contained a vast and sophisticated arsenal, including:
- Advanced naval and aerial missile systems
- Complete air defense systems and modern radars
- Hundreds of military drones and their components
- Anti-tank guided missiles
- B-10 artillery, sniper rifles, and advanced surveillance equipment
- Vast quantities of ammunition and other military hardware
Video footage released by the NRF shows the enormous cache of weapons, many of which appear new. The haul included anti-ship missiles of the same type the Houthis have used in their recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, as well as Iranian-made Type 358 anti-aircraft missiles, which are believed to be responsible for downing numerous U.S. drones.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) publicly praised the operation, confirming it was the "largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons" in the NRF's history. In a statement, CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said, “The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region." CENTCOM also noted that many of the weapon systems were accompanied by instruction manuals written in Farsi and were manufactured by a company affiliated with Iran's Ministry of Defense, which is under U.S. sanctions.
This seizure provides concrete evidence for long-standing accusations from Yemen's government and its international partners that Iran is violating a United Nations arms embargo by actively supplying the Houthi rebels. Tehran has consistently denied arming the Houthis. There was no immediate comment from either Iran or the Houthi group regarding the interception.
The operation is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to curb the flow of illegal arms into Yemen and to secure the vital shipping lanes of the Red Sea, which have been under constant threat from Houthi attacks.
This video discusses the context of maritime security and recent ship seizures by Iran in the region.