عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

US Navy Seizes Arms in the Arabian Sea Bound for Houthis in Yemen

Illicit weapons seized from a stateless fishing vessel in the North Arabian Sea aboard guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane's (DDG 77) flight deck. (US Naval Forces Central Command)
Illicit weapons seized from a stateless fishing vessel in the North Arabian Sea aboard guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane's (DDG 77) flight deck. (US Naval Forces Central Command)
TT
TT

US Navy Seizes Arms in the Arabian Sea Bound for Houthis in Yemen

Illicit weapons seized from a stateless fishing vessel in the North Arabian Sea aboard guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane's (DDG 77) flight deck. (US Naval Forces Central Command)
Illicit weapons seized from a stateless fishing vessel in the North Arabian Sea aboard guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane's (DDG 77) flight deck. (US Naval Forces Central Command)

The US Navy said it seized Monday a large cache of weapons and ammunition being smuggled by a fishing ship from Iran, likely bound for Yemen in the North Arabian Sea.

The 5th Fleet ships seized approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel during a flag verification boarding following customary international law.

The illicit weapons and ammunition were later transported to the guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane 77, awaiting final disposition.

The Navy issued a statement explaining that the stateless vessel was assessed to have originated in Iran and transited international waters along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen. The direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates UN Security Council Resolutions and US sanctions.

It pointed out that the vessel's five crew members identified themselves as Yemeni nationals and will be returned to Yemen. After removing the crew and illicit cargo, "US naval forces determined the stateless vessel was a hazard to navigation for commercial shipping and sank it."

The statement added that: "US naval forces regularly perform maritime security operations in the Middle East to ensure the free flow of legitimate trade and to disrupt the transport of illicit cargo that often funds terrorism and other unlawful activity."

The US Navy warships operating in the US 5th Fleet region have seized approximately 8,700 illicit weapons in 2021. The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) took dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, hundreds of PKM machine guns, and sniper rifles rocket-propelled grenade launchers from a stateless vessel transiting the North Arabian Sea in May.

In February, the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) seized a cache of weapons off the coast of Somalia, including thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and crew-served weapons. The inventory also included barrels, stocks, optical scopes, and weapon systems.

The US 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles of water. It includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government urged the international community and the Security Council permanent members to carry out their responsibilities and pressure Iran to stop smuggling weapons to the Houthis, which violates the UN Charter and international resolutions pertaining to the Yemeni crisis. It also called for classifying the Houthis as a terrorist group.

Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani indicated that the US Navy's announcement of the seizure of the weapons shipment represents a clear Iranian challenge to the will of the international community.

In a statement carried by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), Eryani stated that the Iranian regime's smuggling of weapons to the Houthi militias is an extension of its "continuous aggression against Yemen since the start of the September 2014 coup", noting that Tehran continues to implement its "destructive agenda" and its expansionist project in the region.

Eryani stressed that the Iranian regime has played a significant role in undermining efforts to bring peace to Yemen.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Fishers at a Lebanese Port Hope Ceasefire with Israel Means Normal Life is Returning

Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)
Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)
TT
TT

Fishers at a Lebanese Port Hope Ceasefire with Israel Means Normal Life is Returning

Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)
Most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the Tyre port have not sailed out of concern since the Israeli army in October barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers from the order. (AP)

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah brought hope for normality back to many in southern Lebanon on Friday, including fishermen who have long launched their single-engine wooden boats into the Mediterranean at dawn.
During the last two months of its year fighting Hezbollah, Israel imposed a siege on southern Lebanon that kept hundreds of fishers at this ancient Phoenician port on shore, upending their lives and the industry.
While less important than destruction and displacement, the port siege cut many people off from the key ingredients for traditional Lebanese dishes like sayadiyeh — fish and rice boiled in fish sauce — or fried and grilled fish eaten with dips such as hummus and tabbouleh or fattoush salads.
The loss of fish damaged a deep association with home, but now the possibility of renewed Lebanese fishing on the country's southern coast is helping fuel hope for a brighter future.
On Friday, a few boats went out close to the shore as fishers in the port worked on the nets of small boats painted white, blue or red.
Hussein Sukmani, 55, said Friday that he was considering going to sea in coming days but was waiting to see how things unfold.
He hasn't dared set sail since the Israel-Hezbollah war dramatically intensified on Sept. 23. “They were days of fear and horror,” he said. "They were the most difficult days of our lives.”
A week ago, a drone strike killed two young fishers in the city as they prepared their nets on the coast, and some fishermen said Friday that the Lebanese army told them that if they headed out it would be at their own risk .
Among those who sailed near the coast on Friday was Walid Darwish, who returned to the port with two plastic boxes filled with mullet.
“Today is the first time that we sail,” Darwish said, adding that fishers had missed the prime season in October and November.
“We lost it,” he said.
The Israeli army barred any boats from an area 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border in October and has not said whether the warning is still in effect.
Sukmani said that most of the 700 fishers who work on the 270 boats at the port have not sailed out of concern since then.
The area around the port is a predominantly Christian neighborhood that has been spared much of the airstrikes on other parts of Tyre that leveled buildings in this city.
In peaceful times, the port is a major tourist attraction, beloved by Lebanese and foreigners who come for the views, the restaurants and the beaches.
On Friday, Mohammed Hammoud walked along the coast of Tyre carrying his fishing rod.
“It is enough that someone is able to stand in this beautiful area,” he said, pointing to the white sands. “Fishing is everything for me,” added Hammoud, who went to fish several times in the area north of the city of Sidon that was not part of the siege.
In the old market of Tyre, Gilbert Spiridon watched from inside his shop as people came to buy freshly brought fish. Before the war, it took hours to sell all his fish to people from around Lebanon.
“All I wish is that the war has ended and we are back on track to the old good days,” he said.