Yesterday, Wednesday, the US military announced an operation carried out by Western allies in the middle of last month, which resulted in the seizure of a boat loaded with weapons and ammunition, believed to have been sent by Iran to the Houthi group, its ally in Yemen.
The US Army Central Command said in a statement that more than 3,000 assault rifles, 578,000 rounds of ammunition and 23 anti-tank guided missiles were found in the operation that took place on January 15 in the Gulf of Oman.
Central Command, which oversees US military operations across the Middle East, added that the United States supported the operation, but did not specify which partner led it.
In turn, the Wall Street Journal quoted officials familiar with the operation as saying that it was carried out by French special forces.
The Central Command explained that the operation took place "along routes that were historically used to illegally transfer weapons from Iran to Yemen."
On January 6, US forces intercepted a fishing boat in the Gulf of Oman carrying more than 2,100 assault rifles, believed to be heading from Iran to Yemen.
A month earlier, US forces confiscated a boat loaded with tons of ammunition, chemicals, fuses, and missile thrusters, which are also believed to have been destined for the Houthis, especially since they had previously launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In addition to the Houthi attacks, Yemen has also become a major center for the arms trade with East Africa, as traders in Yemen have sold weapons to militias fighting in Somalia, Sudan and other African countries.
Since August 2014, the Houthis have controlled Sana'a and large parts of Yemen, with the support of Iran.
Last September, the group organized a parade with helicopters in the sky of Sana'a for the first time since they seized power, and it also carried out other military parades, including a large military parade in the coastal city of Hodeidah, western Yemen.