US Navy seizes parts of Iranian missiles sent to Houthis
A Navy warship has seized a “significant cache” of
suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen, US officials
said Wednesday, marking the first time that such sophisticated components have
been taken en route to the war there.
The seizure from a small boat by the US Navy and a
US Coast Guard boarding team happened last Wednesday in the northern Arabian
Sea, and the weapons have been linked to Iran.
Officials said the incident illustrates the
continuing illegal smuggling of weapons to Houthi rebels and comes as Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were
meeting, with Iran as the main topic.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to
describe a sensitive military mission.
The US has consistently accused Iran of illegally
smuggling arms to Houthi militia battling the Yemeni government and has seized
smaller and less sophisticated weapons in transit. The missile parts found in
this latest incident were described as more advanced than any others previously
seized.
According to officials, the USS Forrest Sherman was
conducting routine maritime operations when sailors noticed a small wooden boat
that was not displaying a country flag. The Navy and Coast Guard personnel
stopped, boarded the boat for inspection and found the weapons.
Officials did not provide the exact number of
missiles or parts but did describe it as a significant cache and said it was
headed to Yemen. They said the small boat was towed into port because a leak
was discovered during the inspection, and the people on the boat were
transferred to the Yemeni Coast Guard. The officials did not say where the crew
of the small boat was from. The weapons are still on board the US ship.
The officials said the US is still examining the
weapons to specifically pinpoint their origin. But they said the missile parts
had all the hallmarks of previous Iranian weapons that have been found in Yemen
or Saudi Arabia.
Smuggling weapons into Yemen is a violation of a UN
Security Council resolution.
