SANAA, Yemen (BN24) — Yemeni fighters loyal to the country’s exiled government announced Wednesday they had seized a massive Iranian arms shipment allegedly destined for the Houthi rebels, marking one of the largest interdictions of Tehran-supplied weaponry in the war-torn nation’s decade-long conflict.
The National Resistance Force, a militia led by Brig. Gen. Tariq Saleh, claimed it intercepted approximately 750 tons of weapons and missiles in late June. The cache reportedly included advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles similar to those the Houthis have used in recent months to attack Red Sea shipping lanes.
While Iranian officials and Houthi leadership did not respond to the announcement, video footage released by Saleh’s forces showed what appeared to be Iranian-made Type 358 surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship systems resembling those deployed in Houthi strikes that sank two commercial vessels this year, killing at least four crew members. Drone parts, warheads, and weapons manuals written in Farsi were also allegedly found among the seized cargo.
Though the U.S. Navy and Western allies have previously interdicted Iranian arms at sea, this marks the first major seizure carried out independently by the National Resistance Force. It represents a notable shift in the broader fight to curb Iran’s influence and disrupt weapons flows to the Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and continue to defy a United Nations arms embargo.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) praised the operation, with Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla calling Iran “the most destabilizing actor in the region” and describing the shipment as proof of Tehran’s ongoing violations. CENTCOM said the weapons bore markings tied to an Iranian defense firm under U.S. sanctions, adding that the material demonstrated Iran’s persistent efforts to fuel regional instability.
“The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region,” Kurilla said in a statement. “Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critical to regional security, stability and freedom of navigation.”
Iran has consistently denied supplying weapons to the Houthis, despite repeated discoveries of Tehran-manufactured arms in both battlefield and maritime contexts. U.S. officials say the Houthis have used Iranian weaponry to down 26 U.S. MQ-9 drones since the war began.
The conflict in Yemen escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition — supported by U.S. intelligence and weaponry — intervened on behalf of the exiled Yemeni government. The resulting stalemate has left over 150,000 people dead and driven millions to the brink of starvation in what the United Nations has called one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
While Wednesday’s announcement drew international attention, it remains unclear whether the captured weapons shipment will shift momentum in the drawn-out conflict, which has seen no major diplomatic breakthroughs despite multiple ceasefire efforts.
