List Of Arms Supplied To Yemen’s Houthi Rebels By Iran Since 2015

Iran has set up a network of smuggling routes through Oman and the Arabian and Red Seas to transport arms and equipment to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. This has included anything from small arms to cruise missiles, loitering munitions and even ballistic missiles. The fact that these continue to reach Yemen in spite of a naval blockade in place is a testament to Iran's skill in arms trafficking. Nonetheless, arms shipments are occasionally intercepted and seized by Western and Saudi warships sailing in the area. The volume of these intercepts has meanwhile been enough for Western countries to supply war-thorn Ukraine with at least some of the armament captured. [1]

 

Most of the ships containing Iranian-supplied arms and equipment intended for the Houthis list Somalia as their ultimate destination. When arriving in the Arabian or Red Sea, the arms and equipment are transferred to smaller vessels that take care of the delivery to Yemen's coast. Deliveries to Somalia and then onward to Yemen and overland deliveries through Oman make up the rest of the arms transfers. Iranian experts are also believed to have played a pivotal role in the conversion and reactivation of a number of weapons systems inside Yemen, and setting up production lines for the production of components used in Iranian-delivered armament such as drones.

 

This list only includes Iranian-supplied arms and equipment supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen or interdicted on the way to Yemen after the 2015 Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. This list does not include ammunition, weapons sights or items such as cables or specific components of missiles or drones. The part within apostrophes refers to the designation given by Houthis to foreign-delivered equipment. A year in square brackers after the designation refers to its perceived date of inception in Yemen. Be sure to check out the Iranian Arms Dashboard by Joshua Koontz for Iranian armament specified by the specific Governorates of Yemen they were sighted in.

(Click on the equipment to get a picture of them in Houthi service or after their capture during transport to Yemen)

 

 

 

 

 

[1] The Involuntary Ally: Iranian Arms In Ukraine https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/09/the-involuntary-ally-iranian-arms-in.html

 

Special thanks to Joshua Koontz.

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