Behind the Houthi arsenal: How Iran built the force threatening the region

A report by Erem News, based on Yemeni sources, reveals how Iran helped over the years turn the Houthis from a local force into an organization equipped with long-range missiles and drones, along with smuggling networks and ties extending beyond Yemen's borders. The support expanded further during the political crisis preceding the Houthi takeover of Sanaa, and included weapons, training, and military knowledge. After capturing the capital, the Houthis also had to deal with running state institutions. Iran funded the dispatch of over 2,500 professionals to Damascus for training in governing institutions – a move presented in the report as part of the transition from an armed insurgency to an attempt to establish an alternative government. Arms smuggling networks via sea routes and logistics systems were also documented by official American entities. The US Treasury described shipping and logistics companies used to transfer military equipment and dual-use components to the Houthis, and US Central Command reported intercepting weapons shipments en route from Iran to Yemen. The network is expanding into Africa, with Houthi logistics operatives involved in smuggling through Somalia. The picture presented by the report is of an organization that underwent a profound transformation over about two decades: from an armed movement focused on internal conflict in northern Yemen to a force holding an arsenal of missiles, drones, unmanned vessels, and smuggling networks and ties extending beyond the country's borders. The Houthis' ability to threaten not only their rivals in Yemen but also regional states and shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.