[Jimbuna]

US seizes massive stash of Iranian weapons headed for Houthi rebels

US forces operating in the Arabian Sea have seized a massive arsenal of Iranian weapons that were bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen, officials said Thursday. The weapons were found on January 28.

The weaponry included 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.

A statement from CENTCOM described the haul as 'lethal aid originating in Iran.' According to the command, the shipment was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

'This is yet another example of Iran's malign 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,' CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.

As of Wednesday, the carrier strike group, which includes the cruiser USS Eisenhower, USS Philippine Sea, the destroyers USS Mason and Gravely, and additional U.S. Navy assets in the region including the destroyers USS Laboon and USS Carney have conducted more than 95 intercepts of drones, anti-ship ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles and made more than 240 self-defense strikes on more than 50 Houthi targets.

On Tuesday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said that Israeli ships have been unable to pass through the Gulf of Aden over the last week. 'The Americans and the British failed to secure the passage of any ship heading to Israel. They were unable to protect these ships. They can no longer protect even American-British ships, and this is a real and major victory for us,' he said said in a televised speech.

Houthi militants, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, according to shipping and insurance sources.

'The Israeli, American and British agenda seeks to bring an end to the Palestinian issue,' al-Houthi said. Houthi operations in the Red Sea, he said, were 'legitimate (ones) to help support the people of Gaza and lift the siege being imposed on them.'
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