US Navy seizes large arms shipment likely bound for Yemen

The US Navy has seized a cache of assault rifles and ammunition in the North Arabian Sea along a route that is known to be used to supply weapons to Houthi fighters in Yemen, Middle East Eye has learned.

The US 5th Fleet said the shipment, seized on 20 December, included "approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition", discovered during a routine flag verification check of a stateless ship in international waters.

"The vessel was assessed to have originated in Iran and transited international waters along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Houthis in Yemen," read a statement from the US 5th Fleet sent to MEE.

Crew members aboard the vessel identified themselves as Yemeni nationals. After a search conducted by US Coast Guard personnel, the shipment was transported to guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane.

The unflagged vessel was subsequently sunk, on grounds it posed a "hazard" to commercial shipping.

The confiscation on Saturday follows a massive discovery of arms in May by the USS Monterey during a similar routine search in the North Arabian Sea.

A US defence official previously told the Associated Press that shipment, which included thousands of Chinese-made assault and sniper rifles, along with Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, originated in Iran.

Tehran has been accused of funnelling arms to the Houthi rebels, despite a United Nations arms embargo on the country. Officials and analysts also accuse the country of training and advising the group. Tehran denies both charges.

Yemen has been wracked by civil war since 2014, when the Houthis, a Shia movement, seized the capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and a coalition of regional allies intervened soon after.

The fighting has descended into a bitter proxy conflict between Tehran and Riyadh, with the Houthis launching missiles and drones into the kingdom and the Saudi-led coalition carrying out thousands of air strikes, many of which have hit hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure.