Saudi-led coalition warns against Houthi arms smuggling using fishing boats

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen warned Monday that the Iran-backed Houthi militia was exploiting traditional fishing boats to smuggle weapons, missiles and military equipment into Yemen, urging vessel owners not to cooperate with the militia.

In a statement issued by the coalition’s Joint Forces Command, the coalition identified four vessels as types of traditional maritime craft being used by the Houthis to transport military supplies by sea.

The coalition said the smuggling operations posed a direct threat to Yemen’s security, as well as regional and international security, and endangered the lives of civilians.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen warns against the terrorist Houthi militia’s exploitation of traditional maritime vessels in operations to smuggle weapons, missiles and military equipment by sea,” the statement said.

The coalition called on all owners of maritime vessels to refrain from dealing with the Houthis in connection with the transport of weapons, missiles and military equipment to Yemen’s coast.

It said the warning was intended to protect vessel owners, their crews and their property from the risks associated with such operations.

The statement was accompanied by photographs illustrating the four types of traditional boats identified by the coalition.

The warning comes amid an escalation in fighting in Yemen and intensified coalition operations against Houthi military infrastructure.

Last week, coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the Houthis had acquired advanced technology with assistance from regional parties.

He also said coalition forces had destroyed 127 Houthi weapons storage facilities in mountainous areas, along with numerous missile launchers, during recent operations.

The coalition has accused the militia of using underground facilities, tunnels and mountainous terrain to conceal weapons and launch attacks.

The latest warning also comes amid heightened concerns over maritime security in the region, particularly around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a strategic passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

On Sunday, Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers called for renewed efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and safe passage through Bab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz, while condemning continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.