UN finds Yemen's Houthis receiving 'unprecedented' military support from Iran and Hezbollah

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Yemen's Houthi rebels are transforming themselves into a "powerful military organisation", aided by "unprecedented" military support from outside sources, particularly Iran and Hezbollah, the UN said.

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza last year, the Houthis, who have controlled large swaths of war-torn Yemen for a decade, have "exploited the regional situation and enhanced co-operation with the 'axis of resistance," which includes Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, UN experts said in a report published on Friday.

The panel noted "the transformation of the Houthis from a localized armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organisation, extending their operational capabilities well beyond the territories under their control." The report, which analysed the period from September 2023 to July 2024, said such a transformation was aided by the transfer of military materiel and financial support.

The rebels also benefited from training and technical assistance provided by the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as well as Hezbollah and pro-Iran groups in Iraq, the UN experts said.

"Joint operational centres have been set up in Iraq and Lebanon, with Houthi representation, aimed at coordinating joint military actions," they said. "The scale, nature and extent of transfers of diverse military material technology provided to the Houthis from external sources, including financial support and training of its combatants, is unprecedented."

The report is based on testimony from military experts, Yemeni officials and sources close to the Houthis.

Experts found that the rebels themselves lack the ability to "develop and produce complex weapon systems," such as the missiles they have used to target ships in the Red Sea. They also said some of their weapons bear similarities with equipment used by Iran and Iran-backed groups.

The Houthis have targeted ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last year in what they describe as support for Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war. The attacks have seriously disrupted a route which carries 12 per cent of global trade, triggering reprisal strikes by the United States and Britain against rebel targets in Yemen.

Houthi fighters are being trained outside Yemen, either in Iran or at Hezbollah training facilities in Lebanon, the report said. Hezbollah is named as one of the Houthis' "most important supporters" due to the militant group's involvement in rebel decision-making, support for assembling weapons systems, financing, "ideological guidance" and propaganda efforts.

The report said the Houthis have carried out a vast recruitment project, resulting in a force that numbered 350,000 in mid-2024, as compared with 220,000 in 2022.

"While the panel has not been able to independently verify the number of newly recruited fighters, a large-scale mobilization would be a matter of concern," it said.

Meanwhile, the United States said on Friday it will deploy B-52 bombers, fighter jets, refuelling aircraft and Navy destroyers to the Middle East, in a readjustment of military assets as the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group prepares to leave the region. The Pentagon said in a statement that deployments would take place in the coming months and demonstrated the flexibility of the US military movements around the world.

"Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people," Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement.

The United States has had as many as two aircraft carriers in the Middle East during the past year of soaring tensions since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. The Lincoln's withdrawal will create an aircraft carrier gap until another is cycled into the Middle East.

The latest adjustment in US forces in the region follows direct exchanges of fire in October between Israel and Iran. Israel is also fighting Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and has carried out strikes in Yemen after coming under attack from Iran-aligned Houthi fighters.

The United States has pledged to help defend Israel against attack and to safeguard US forces in the Middle East, who have been attacked by Iran-backed groups in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen.

- With agency reports