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EXCLUSIVE: Almasdar Online reveals Iran’s smuggling network in #Yemen and tracks the web of smuggling routes #Iran uses to secretly deliver drones, missiles and other military technology to the Houthis. https://al-masdaronline.net/national/918
After months of investigation and conversations with key actors including smugglers, Almasdar Online details how Iran continues to secretly deliver weapons to the Houthis, despite a UN arms embargo strictly enforced by the Saudi-led coalition.
The maritime phase is generally divided into three stages. The first starts from Iranian ports and ends at a specific point between the Sea of Oman and Iran.
From there, the second phase begins, and the arms are shipped to points off the coasts of Oman, Yemen, or to an intermediary country such as Thailand, Somalia, or Djibouti.
The third phase of the smuggling journey carries the weapons shipments to less than 10 km from Yemen’s shores. In an attempt to avoid detection at sea, smugglers often send a surveillance ship about 10 km ahead of the arms shipment to scan the route for counter-smuggling forces.
As soon as the weapons shipments reach Yemeni shores, they are transferred to secret warehouses, divided into batches and loaded onto trucks and cargo vehicles transporting commercial goods bound for Houthi-controlled areas in Sana’a and Sa’ada.
The land-based phases of the smuggling routes through Yemen start from 1) Yemen’s eastern coastlines on the Arabian Sea or its border with Oman; or 2) from Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The land smuggling routes networks use at least three routes from the eastern part of the country through Almahra, Shabwa, and Hadramout. And at least four routes from the west through Hajjah, Hudydah, Taiz, Lahj, and Aden. Read the details here: https://al-masdaronline.net/national/918
