Yemeni forces seize vessel with alleged Iran-supplied drone equipment

Yemeni naval forces on Wednesday evening seized a vessel in the Red Sea carrying equipment used in drone manufacturing that was allegedly smuggled from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthi group, Yemen TV reported on Thursday. The vessel was intercepted while transporting equipment used in manufacturing drones, according to the broadcaster, which cited the military media of the National Resistance Forces.

Naval confrontation

Hours later, naval patrols detected five Houthi boats attempting to approach islands overlooking the international shipping lane. The forces engaged the vessels and forced them to retreat north toward the coast of Hodeidah, a city held by the Houthis on Yemen's western coast.

A Houthi drone conducting reconnaissance ahead of the boat movement was also shot down during the operation, the report said. The engagement occurred along the strategic maritime corridor, where previous Houthi attacks on commercial vessels have disrupted global shipping traffic.

Protracted conflict

Yemen has remained divided since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military coalition to intervene in support of the internationally recognized government in 2015. The war has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian crises while fracturing the nation into competing zones of control.