Yemen shows it can serve as international partner for maritime security

ADEN -- Yemeni forces have thwarted the smuggling of arms and explosives by the Houthis and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) via al-Hodeidah provincial ports on a number of recent occasions, military sources said.

In mid-August, joint forces on the country's Red Sea coast announced they had dismantled a third maritime smuggling cell affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthis, after breaking up two similar cells just days earlier.

The two members of the third cell hailed from Dhubab district in western Taez province, the military media office said.

They confessed they had been recruited by the Houthis to smuggle explosive materials from Djibouti to the ports of Salif and Ras Issa in al-Hodeidah province, Yemen.

They also admitted their involvement in transporting two shipments of urea-based fertiliser, which is widely used in manufacturing explosives, before Coast Guard forces intercepted them off al-Khokha, south of al-Hodeidah.

The cell members' confessions provide new evidence of the Houthis' use of al-Hodeidah's ports -- the main port of al-Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa -- for military purposes, the military press office said.

In addition to their smuggling activity, the press office said, the cells were part of a wider network that engaged in espionage and intelligence gathering for the Houthis on Yemen's Red Sea coast.

Pro-government forces on August 11 announced they had dismantled seven Houthi cells operating along Yemen's Red Sea coast, comprising 35 members in total.

The cells had been spying and smuggling weapons for the IRGC.

One of the cells had been involved in smuggling arms shipments from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas to the Red Sea ports of al-Hodeidah, the media office said.

The other had been involved in smuggling explosive materials from Djibouti to al-Hodeidah port.

Public support for security

Residents of the Red Sea coastal areas appear to be supportive of the authorities' apprehension and dismantling of the IRGC-linked Houthi arms smuggling cells, said political analyst Faisal Ahmed.

"I think one of the factors for the security success of the joint forces on the west coast is the citizens' co-operation with them," he said.

Local residents have seen the cell members use the ports of al-Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif to smuggle weapons, explosives and drugs, disrupting the port operations, he said.

Most residents of coastal areas benefit from the ports in some way, he added, explaining that they provide many with a livelihood and also bring in necessary imports to meet the population's needs.

The local population also supports the effort to dismantle smuggling cells, "because they undermine their security and stability", he said, adding that the war, now in its eighth year, has spawned intensified smuggling.

Weapons, explosives and drugs that are smuggled into the country have contributed to Yemen's instability and fuelled the war.

Ahmed attributed the acceleration of smuggling operations to Iran's continuous efforts to implement its regional expansionist project and enhance its influence.

He accused the Houthis and Iran of violating the terms of the Stockholm Agreement by using the Red Sea ports "to implement their agenda of undermining the security and stability of the region".

"Iran is an expansionist state that aims to extend its influence and hegemony over the geographical environment," said Abdul Salam Mohammed, director of the Abaad Centre for Strategic Studies.

"Iran's behaviour is based on perpetrating violence and ensuring the continuation of wars in the region by supporting the Houthis with weapons," he said.

'Intelligence achievement'

Political analyst Mohammad al-Taher called the dismantling of the smuggling cells an "intelligence achievement".

It reveals the extent of the threat and danger posed by the Iran-backed Houthis to international waterways and global trade, he said.

It also shows that pro-government forces possess "a professional intelligence apparatus that is capable of bringing about security and stability on the western Yemeni coastal strip", he said.

Moreover, it demonstrates that Yemen can serve as "an international partner in securing international waterways", al-Taher said.

"This operation is not the first, and it will not be the last."

Those watching over the security and stability of Yemen were able to apprehend the Houthis and dismantle espionage and smuggling networks on its western coast, he said.

"We expect there will be more of that coming, with the community's co-operation," he added.