13 suspected members of a Houthi cell detained in Yemen while smuggling weapons

Detentions in Shabwa

Yemeni security forces detained 13 suspected members of a Houthi cell and seized a truck carrying weapons, ammunition and explosives that had been smuggled by sea into Shabwa province, the governor's office said on Sunday. The National reports. Shabwa Governor Awad al-Wazir, who also heads the provincial security committee, said the operation was the result of surveillance and intelligence gathering amid ongoing fighting between the Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthis.

Details of the seized cargo

According to the preliminary investigation, the weapons were transported by boat and handed over to cell members on Yemen's southern coast; the cargo was intended for the Houthis, according to a report presented to the governor. The seized cargo included sniper rifles, ammunition, improvised explosive devices described by the authorities as highly destructive, as well as projectiles of various types. The investigation is ongoing: the circumstances of the operation, the wider network and other individuals involved are being established.

Context of the escalating conflict

The detention came days after a Houthi missile strike on members of the Rapid Intervention Forces in Shabwa, which, according to the governor's office, killed 77 people and wounded 195. The Houthis claimed the attack, calling it a strike on a concentration of forces of the 'Saudi enemy' run by Saudi officers, and said that Saudi military personnel were among the dozens killed and wounded; Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Recently the Houthis have also attacked other government targets, including Aden airport and the presidential palace in the interim capital, where a missile and drone attack killed five security personnel. This month, government forces launched a campaign to retake areas held by the Houthis, advancing near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, while the rebels continue the siege of Taiz. Governor al-Wazir called on security and military units to raise their readiness, strengthen surveillance and inspections on land and sea routes, and improve coordination and intelligence sharing to prevent further smuggling and infiltration attempts.

Significance of the event

The detention shows that maritime arms smuggling to Yemen's southern coast remains an active supply channel for the Houthis, and that Shabwa — a resource-rich province home to the country's largest industrial investment project, the Balhaf LNG plant — is turning into one of the active flashpoints of the confrontation. For residents of the region, this means heightened checks on land and sea routes announced by the governor, and the risk of a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation: according to The National, Yemen is already experiencing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, and the fighting that resumed this year after the 2022 truce threatens to worsen the plight of civilians. The outcome of the investigation into the wider smuggling network and the Saudi side's response to the Houthis' claims of Saudi casualties remain unknown.

Show caption: The seized cargo included guns, ammunition, improvised explo…