Britain says its navy has intercepted and seized missiles secretly sent by Iran to Yemeni fighters. With this, the country said it has strong evidence that Iran is providing arms to the Houthi rebels.
A statement issued by the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates states:
Britain’s navy has seized surface-to-air missiles and engines, cruise missiles and land-based missiles sent from Iran in the Gulf of Oman. The missiles were intended for Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
This is the first time that Iran has sent sophisticated weapons to the militants and they have been seized, the report said.
In 2014, the Kalachi forces of the Houthi tribe, which has a majority of Shia Muslim sects, fought against the internationally recognized government in Yemen and captured large areas including the capital Sana’a in 2014. Western countries including Britain have accused Shia-majority Iran of supporting the extremists, but Iran has denied it.
In this situation, Saudi Arabia, which has a majority of Sunni factions in support of the then President Mansour Hadi, is attacking Houthi factions.
Although a ceasefire has been observed between the two sides, the Houthi factions have been launching missile attacks on Saudi Arabia from time to time. Britain is accusing Iran of supplying them with those missiles.
In this context, Britain has now announced that it has intercepted and seized modern missiles sent to Yemen.