Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea since last fall, and despite countless efforts at striking their shoreside operations, they have maintained a steady tempo of attacks. Their resilience stems from continued support from their Iranian sponsors, their own in-house abilities, and – in an emerging development – a new diversity of suppliers, according to a top Navy leader.
The Houthis’ supply chain has relied on Iran since the beginning of the group’s militancy, and over the years, U.S. and allied forces have intercepted multiple Iranian weapons shipments bound for Yemen on the high seas. But the group’s supply infrastructure has evolved “far beyond” what it was at the start of the Yemeni civil war 10 years ago, says 5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. George Wikoff – and it now involves multiple players.
“There is a line of effort right now looking at all supply …