Aden (South24 Center)

The Yemeni Coast Guard announced on Saturday (November 8) that it had intercepted two vessels carrying advanced communications equipment, suspected to be headed for the Houthis, around 70 nautical miles west of Aden port - highlighting the continued activity of smuggling networks linked to the Iran-backed group.

#BREAKING
Yemeni Coast Guard: We seized Wednesday dawn two vessels arriving from Djibouti carrying advanced communication equipment that was concealed#south24 pic.twitter.com/3sVtgEYRjT

— South24 | English (@South24E) November 9, 2025

In a statement, the Coast Guard Authority added that the two vessels had sailed from Djibouti port carrying approximately 250 tons of cargo and were headed toward the Ras Al-Arah area, which the Coast Guard described as an "illegal landing point" used for smuggling operations and for bypassing official customs procedures.

The statement clarified that inspection teams discovered 14 containers on board containing advanced communications equipment, including large network data processing and integration devices manufactured by China's Huawei. These items were neither declared nor included in the shipping documents, in an attempt to conceal their actual destination, the statement added.

It noted that such equipment is typically used in fiber-optic networks and telecommunications infrastructure, is not considered general commercial equipment, and requires government permits for transportation and operation within Yemen.

The two vessels were escorted to Aden port with their crews, and the cargo detained pending further investigations and referral of the case to relevant authorities, according to the statement.

 Image of Vessels intercepted (Source:Y.C.G Aden)

This operation adds to a series of such interceptions in the current year of shipments suspected to be headed to Houthi-controlled areas, carrying weapons, communications equipment, and materials used in manufacturing drones.