US seizes weapons shipment headed from Iran to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen

THE HILL:  U.S. forces seized an advanced weapons shipment from Iran headed to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, according to a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) statement Thursday.

U.S. forces found more 200 packages of lethal weapons on a vessel intended to support the Houthis that have been firing missiles in the Red Sea and disrupting international shipments in the region.

The U.S. Coast Guard seized unmanned underwater-surface vehicle components, explosives, network equipment, anti-tank missile launcher assemblies, medium-range ballistic missile components and other lethal equipment, according to the Thursday statement.

“This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement. “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.”

The Houthis have been firing missiles and performing drone strikes on commercial ships since last November in an effort to protest Israel’s military operations in Gaza and show solidarity with Palestinians. Due to the onslaught on the shipping vessels, some companies have redirected ships to around the southern tip of Africa, a longer path that costs more.

CENTCOM also announced Thursday that U.S. forces downed seven mobile anti-ship missiles, three unmanned aerial vehicles and one drone in the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The weaponry was destroyed in four strikes that, CENTCOM says, were in defense of the U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the area.