Aden (South24 Center)

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Security authorities in Aden, Southern Yemen, announced on Thursday (October 2), that extensive inspection of a shipment intercepted at the Aden Container Port, has revealed it to be the largest consignment of weapons and military equipment seized so far.

Video excerpt by Aden security, Oct. 2, 2025 (via South24 Center).

The consignment, seized in August, has been described as the largest of its kind in years of war.

The shipment comprised of 58 containers weighing over 2,500 tons. It was reportedly enroute from Djibouti to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah before being re-routed to Aden due to the military restrictions imposed on Hodeidah port. The authorities said the seized items included complete factory equipment for producing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), launch platforms, jet engines, and specialised manufacturing units equipped with lathes and industrial presses, in addition to wireless communication devices, advanced control units, and electronic chips used in operating the UAVs.

Video excerpt by Aden security, Oct. 2, 2025 (via South24 Center).

The shipment also included surveillance and espionage equipment, including portable thermal cameras, thermal imaging sensors, jamming devices, and frequency detectors, along with raw materials such as carbon fibers, plastics, aluminium alloys, and iron sheets, oxygen cylinders, and protective clothing for technicians.

The authorities said the operation was executed under the supervision of the Specialized Criminal Prosecution Office and with the participation of a Presidential Committee mandated by the member of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and official responsible for the security and counter-terrorism file, Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami.

Video excerpt by Aden security, Oct. 2, 2025 (via South24 Center).

Al-Mahrami stated that the discovery of this shipment represents a severe blow to the Houthis, who rely on ports and commercial shipping to smuggle weapons and equipment, and emphasized the importance of tightening control over land and sea entry points and cutting off all smuggling routes.

Video excerpt by Aden security, Oct. 2, 2025 (via South24 Center).

This shipment is an extension of a series of interception operations carried out by Southern forces during the past months, amid international warnings regarding the danger of advanced weapons flowing to the Houthis in light of the political stalemate and the continuous violation of the international arms embargo.

In a related context, the Counter-Terrorism Service in Aden announced on Wednesday (October 1) the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle modern printing machines through the container port, arriving from Germany. They stated that the machines were to be used for the illegal printing of banknotes for the Houthis.

The Counter-Terrorism Service clarified that the operation relied on accurate intelligence information and was executed in coordination with the Customs Authority. The Governor of the Central Bank directed that the shipment be seized and referred to the Public Prosecution Office for examination by specialized experts.

#BREAKING
Counter-Terrorism Apparatus: We thwarted attempt to smuggle specialized currency printing equipment to Houthi militias through Aden port#south24 pic.twitter.com/6p5F4fXSUF

— South24 | English (@South24E) October 2, 2025

The statement added that investigations are ongoing to uncover the circumstances of the case.

However, circulated images of the shipment showed that the seized printers were Heidelberg Printmaster models, which are commercial offset machines typically used for printing brochures, pamphlets, and advertising magazines, and not specialized machines for printing banknotes, which require high-security technologies such as intaglio and relief printing, watermarks, and color-shifting inks.

Nevertheless, a definitive conclusion about their intended use cannot be reached before the completion of the investigations, amid the possibility that they may have been modified or designed in a different way. This is expected to be clarified by the results of the technical examination conducted by the competent authorities.