The US Navy thwarts the smuggling of drugs and Iranian weapons to the Houthi arm
English - Tuesday 24 May 2022 الساعة 06:29 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
The US Navy was able to prevent drug and weapons smuggling and stop Iranian military support for the Houthi militia.
The commander of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet stationed in the Middle East, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, confirmed that his forces managed, during the past two weeks alone, to confiscate an estimated more than sixty million dollars in drug shipments, while working on a large scale to prevent the smuggling of weapons and contraband.
Cooper said that the fleet seeks to deploy 100 marine vehicles in the Gulf by the summer of next year, to increase the ability to detect risks and quickly deal with them.
He pointed out that the forces are trying to take advantage of artificial intelligence and unmanned systems, and will also put more eyes on the waters in the Arabian Gulf.
The new commander of the US Central Command, "Michael Corella," confirmed that fighting arms smuggling to the Houthis will be one of his priorities in cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
In a previous interview with Al Arabiya, he expressed Washington's concern about smuggling conventional and advanced munitions by sea to support Houthi operations.
He also described Iran as the major destabilizing force in the Middle East, stressing that Washington will not allow Tehran to possess nuclear weapons.
He pointed out that the United States' concerns about Iran go beyond this country's nuclear capability, pointing out that the threats posed by Iran require a strict effort from America and its security partners.
