US Sounds Alarm On Iran Aiding Houthi Rebels With Sophisticated Weaponry In Yemen

The United States is increasingly concerned about Iran’s supply of advanced weaponry to Houthi rebels in Yemen, which is bolstering the rebels’ capacity to disrupt international commerce and attack merchant vessels.

What Happened: Iran has been providing the Houthi rebels in Yemen with advanced weaponry, including drone jammers and components for long-range rockets and missiles, as per Western officials and analysts, reported The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. This assistance is significantly enhancing the rebels’ ability to disrupt international commerce and attack merchant vessels despite ongoing U.S.-led airstrikes.

Iran has also dispatched advisers from its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, to assist the rebels in their naval attacks and the launch of rockets and drones. The weapons are smuggled into Yemen from Iran, and spare parts are procured through front companies with the help of middlemen. The missiles and drones are assembled and operated by engineers in Yemen and other regional countries, with live intelligence provided by workers in the shipping industry.

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Why It Matters: The U.S. has been pressing China to use its influence to curb the Houthi rebels’ attacks in the Red Sea, which are backed by Iran. However, these diplomatic efforts have yielded minimal results, with Beijing showing little indication of pressuring Tehran to control the attacks.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and the U.K. recently conducted fresh airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, targeting their military infrastructure. The strikes carried out with the support of several other countries, aimed to disrupt the rebels’ activities in the Red Sea, a critical global trade route.

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