AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s government-aligned forces have stepped up operations against Houthi threats in the Red Sea, combating drone boats near government-held islands and intercepting a dhow carrying advanced drone components allegedly bound for the Iran-backed group.
The National Resistance said coastguard forces confronted Houthi unmanned surface vessels that approached government-controlled islands on Sunday and Monday.
The incidents came less than a day after the Yemeni army said drones operated by its 5th Military Region carried out a pre-emptive strike on an explosive-laden Houthi drone boat that was being prepared to target shipping in the Red Sea.
Footage released by the army showed a small white motorboat close to the shoreline before it was struck and destroyed.
The National Resistance also said its naval forces had intercepted a dhow in the Red Sea carrying drone components, describing the seizure as the latest in a series of operations targeting weapons and equipment allegedly being smuggled from Iran to the Houthis.
A video released by the force showed armed naval boats surrounding the wooden dhow before displaying the seized equipment.
The cargo included advanced control and guidance systems for explosive drones, live-video transmission and processing equipment, spare parts, precision electronics used for wireless drone communications, antennas and other components, according to the National Resistance.
Several sailors were arrested, and the force said an investigation linked them to a smuggling network operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“This operation highlights once again the Iranian regime’s continued violation of international resolutions and its smuggling of weapons to militias, confirming the readiness of the Yemeni naval and intelligence forces to cut off the supply lines for smuggling in territorial waters,” the National Resistance said.
Yemeni military experts said the latest interceptions highlighted Iran’s continued support for the Houthis and its determination to strengthen the group’s ability to threaten shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
“I believe it is now clear that Iran continues its smuggling operations without regard for sanctions, considering the Houthis a key asset in its efforts to control the Bab Al-Mandab Strait,” Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al-Kumaim, a Yemeni military expert, told Arab News.
He said Iran was supplying the Houthis with increasingly advanced and long-range weapons capable of threatening targets on land and at sea.
“Iran will continue to arm the Houthis through all available channels, whether via Iranian ports or through the Horn of Africa,” Al-Kumaim said.
He added that years of training and equipping Yemen’s coastguard and naval forces were beginning to produce results, highlighting a series of recent interceptions of weapons shipments allegedly destined for Houthi-controlled areas.
Al-Kumaim called for greater international support for Yemeni government forces, particularly the navy and coastguard, to counter weapons smuggling and Houthi threats in the Red Sea.
“The most important action the world can take is to assist the Yemeni armed forces in liberating Yemen from these terrorist militias and to provide substantial support to the Yemeni navy,” he said.
The developments came as the Houthis buried eight fighters amid a surge in drone attacks by Yemeni government forces on militia-held positions.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV broadcast funeral processions on Saturday for eight fighters buried in Sanaa and Ibb, the latest in a series of public funerals for dozens of Houthi fighters since the beginning of the month.
Among those buried were Hassan Hussein Ali Mutahar, who held the rank of general, and Abdullah Abdul Latif, a colonel.
Although the Houthis rarely disclose battlefield losses, the scale of recent funeral processions suggests that at least 100 fighters have been killed since the beginning of the month, according to the source.
The funerals came as Yemeni army units intensified drone attacks on Houthi positions across central and western Yemen.
Army footage released on Saturday showed drones dropping explosives on Houthi military vehicles, hideouts and command-and-control centers in Marib, Dhale, Al-Bayda and other areas.
The latest escalation began in early August, when the Houthis launched barrages of drones and missiles at government-controlled areas, including Marib and the Red Sea city of Mocha, killing and wounding dozens of soldiers and civilians and damaging the strategic Mocha seaport.
Government forces have since retaliated with drone attacks on Houthi positions in Marib, Dhale, Hodeidah and other areas.
The escalation has coincided with a sharp rise in Houthi casualties, with public funeral processions taking place on a scale not seen since before April 2022, when a UN-brokered truce led to a significant reduction in hostilities.
