U.S. troops intercept Iranian ship loaded with missiles, drones bound for Yemen’s Houthi rebels

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U.S. forces on Jan. 28 seized a ship originating in Iran, loaded with missiles and drones, and destined for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Pentagon revealed Thursday as it blamed the regime in Tehran for aiding the Houthis in their continued targeting of commercial ships in the region.

The American mission appears to have been similar to another January operation in which two Navy SEALs died at sea when boarding an Iranian ship in the Arabian Sea. That ship also was destined for Yemen, officials said.

There was no such tragedy this time. U.S. Central Command said that a Coast Guard fast-response cutter, assigned to U.S. naval forces, identified the Iranian vessel in the Red Sea and troops quickly boarded it. They discovered more than 200 packages filled with ballistic missile components, explosives, sea and land drones, communications and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other weapons and equipment.

“This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”

The Houthis have fired hundreds of attack drones and anti-ship missiles at ships since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas — which, like the Houthis, is financially and logistically backed by Iran — launched a major terrorist attack against Israel. Houthi leaders have said their campaign is retaliation toward Israel for its war in the Gaza Strip, though many of the ships targeted seemingly have no connection to Jerusalem.

The U.S. last month began targeting Houthi missions in Yemen, in addition to regularly shooting down Houthi drones and anti-ship missiles fired toward the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and other waterways in the region.

Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the U.S. cutter that located the Iranian ship.