South24 Center (Aden)

Yemen’s National Resistance said on Sunday (August 30) that its naval forces had intercepted a smuggling boat in the Red Sea carrying control, guidance, and communications systems used in attack drones. It said the shipment had come from Iran and was destined for the Houthi militia.

The operation took place on August 24 following intelligence surveillance of maritime activity allegedly managed by smuggling networks linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the National Resistance’s military media.

The force did not explain why the seizure was announced six days after the operation. It also disclosed no information about the precise interception location, the boat’s route or registration, the size or value of the shipment, or the number and nationalities of the detained crew.

Footage released by the National Resistance on Sunday showed an assortment of electronic and mechanical components that it said were intended for the manufacture and development of one-way attack drones.

According to the statement, the seized items included flight-control and guidance systems, equipment for transmitting and processing live video, precision electronics linked to fuel-injection systems, wireless communications devices, antennas, and other supporting electronic components.

South24 Center could not independently determine the components’ origin or the shipment’s intended recipient based solely on the released footage.

The National Resistance said preliminary questioning of the boat’s crew had revealed information about coordination mechanisms and smuggling routes allegedly arranged by the IRGC. It added that recordings of the crew members’ statements would be released on Monday (August 31).

The National Resistance is a West Coast-based military formation led by Presidential Leadership Council member Tareq Saleh.

Neither the Houthis nor Iran immediately commented on the operation.

The National Resistance navy had earlier announced on August 27 that it had seized a traditional cargo boat in the Red Sea carrying equipment used in drone production.

It remains unclear whether the August 27 announcement referred to the same shipment that the National Resistance later said it had intercepted on August 24 or to a separate operation. The published statements provided no identifying details about the boats, their crews, or the interception locations that would allow the two accounts to be conclusively distinguished.

Hours after the August 27 announcement, the National Resistance said five Houthi boats had attempted to approach government-held islands overlooking the international shipping lane.

It added that naval patrols forced the boats to retreat toward the Houthi-controlled coast of Hodeidah and shot down a drone conducting reconnaissance ahead of their movement.

The latest announced seizure comes amid a wider series of maritime and land-based interceptions involving components that government forces said were destined for Houthi-controlled areas.

On June 30, the Southern Giants Forces announced that they had intercepted a boat in Bab Al-Mandab carrying equipment used in drone production and detained three crew members.

On July 14, the force seized another boat carrying computer numerical control machines, jet engines, precision measuring equipment, and other tools that could be used to manufacture drones, missiles, and other weapons. All seven crew members were detained.

On August 13, Yemen’s Customs Authority announced the seizure of 23 fiber-optic units at the Al-Wadiah land crossing. It said the equipment could be used to control drones, resist electronic jamming, and transmit live images and coordinates.

In a separate operation at the Aden Free Zone Customs Office, authorities seized six boxes containing 3,687 dual-use electronic components, including Arduino boards, sensors, control panels, and other items that could be used in drone development.

These interceptions followed a much larger seizure by the National Resistance in June 2025. The US Central Command later said the force had intercepted more than 750 tons of Iranian military equipment, including cruise, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads, guidance systems, hundreds of drone engines, radars, and communications equipment destined for the Houthis.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 prohibits the supply, sale, or transfer of weapons, related equipment, and military assistance to the Houthis.

UN experts and independent arms investigators have previously documented the transfer of Iranian-origin weapons and technology to the group, including missile and drone components.