Drone components intended for Houthis sized in Yemen

Security forces in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, the interim capital of Yemen, have seized a new consignment of drone components intended for the Iran-backed Houthis.

Security Belt Forces in Aden said in a statement that their forces recovered a number of sealed boxes containing telecommunication equipment meant to guide drones hidden in a truck in Aden’s Al-Mansoura district traveling to Houthi-controlled regions.

The cartons were disguised as medical supplies, according to security commander Jalal Al-Rubai, and the detained men admitted to loading the boxes from a warehouse for a local medical company in Aden.

The seizure of drone-related material comes nearly a week after another security force in neighboring Lahj province seized a shipment of drone components — including motors, batteries and cameras — in a van that was hidden beneath toys and covered with motorcycles.

Yemeni observers believe that the continued flow of weapons, including drones, to the Houthis indicates that the militia is preparing for military operations across the country, even as international mediators press them and the Yemeni government to renew the UN-brokered truce and reach a peace agreement to end the war.

Meanwhile, Yemeni military officials said that the Houthis launched a number of explosive-equipped and reconnaissance drones at government-controlled regions in Marib, Taiz, Lahj, and Shabwa.

Iran has accelerated its unlawful seizure of oil tankers in Gulf waters, continues to smuggle weapons to Houthi rebels that fuel the war in Yemen.