Captured gang members chart Iran arms supplies to Houthi militias in Yemen

Iranian weapons heading to the Houthis inYemen were seized in two operations. (Arab coalition)
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Updated 01 October 2020
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Captured gang members chart Iran arms supplies to Houthi militias in Yemen

  • Captured gang tells of route to Yemen through base in Somalia

AL-MUKALLA, Yemen: A captured gang of arms smugglers has revealed how Iran supplies weapons to Houthi militias in Yemen through a base in Somalia.

The Houthis exploit poverty in Yemen to recruit fishermen as weapons smugglers, and send fighters to Iran for military training under cover of “humanitarian” flights from Yemen to Oman, the gang said.

The four smugglers have been interrogated since May, when they were arrested with a cache of weapons in Bab Al-Mandab, the strategic strait joining the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

In video footage broadcast on Yemeni TV, gang leader Alwan Fotaini, a fisherman from Hodeidah, admits he was recruited by the Houthis in 2015. His recruiter, a smuggler called Ahmed Halas, told him he and other fishermen would be based in the Somali coastal city of Berbera, from where they would transport weapons and fuel to the Houthis. 

In late 2015, Fotaini traveled to Sanaa and met a Houthi smuggler called Ibrahim Hassam Halwan, known as Abu Khalel, who would be his contact in Iran. 

This is a complex network that requires constant monitoring, hence the focus on maritime security.

Dr. Theodore Karasik, Security analyst

Pretending to be relatives of wounded fighters, Fotaini, Abu Khalel, and another smuggler called Najeeb Suleiman boarded a humanitarian flight to Oman, and then flew to Iran. They were taken to the port city of Bandar Abbas, where they received training on using GPS, camouflage, steering vessels and maintaining engines.

“We stayed in Bandar Abbas for a month as they were preparing an arms shipment that we would be transporting to Yemen,” Fotaini said.

On Fotaini’s first smuggling mission, his job was to act as a decoy for another boat carrying Iranian weapons to the Houthis. “The plan was for us to call the other boat to change course if anyone intercepted our boat,” he said.

He was then sent to Mahra in Yemen to await new arms shipments. The Houthis sent him data for a location at sea, where he and other smugglers met Abu Khalel with a boat laden with weapons from Iran, which were delivered to the Houthis.

Security analyst Dr. Theodore Karasik said long-standing trade ties between Yemen and Somalia made arms smuggling difficult to stop. “This is a complex network that requires constant monitoring, hence the focus on maritime security,” Karasik, a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, DC, told Arab News.

“The smuggling routes are along traditional lines of communication that intermix with other maritime commerce. The temptation to look the other way is sometimes strong, so sharp attention is required to break these chains.”


Trump meets UAE national security adviser, discusses strategic partnership prospects

Updated 9 sec ago
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Trump meets UAE national security adviser, discusses strategic partnership prospects

  • Sheikh Tahnoon is on an official visit to the US where he will meet with senior US administration officials and business leaders

DUBAI: UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday in the presence of senior US officials.

“Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed and the US President discussed opportunities to strengthen the long-term strategic partnership between the UAE and the US and explored ways to enhance it to serve their shared interests,” the state run WAM news agency reported.

Sheikh Tahnoon is on an official visit to the US where he will meet with senior US administration officials and business leaders.

During his meeting with Trump, Tahnoon affirmed the UAE’s commitment to strengthening economic ties with the US by expanding partnerships.

Sheikh Tahnoon also met with US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and discussed ways to advance bilateral relations and the latest developments on matters of mutual interest.


Iraq makes rare seizure of ship suspected of fuel smuggling in Gulf

Updated 21 min 25 sec ago
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Iraq makes rare seizure of ship suspected of fuel smuggling in Gulf

BAGHDAD: Iraqi naval forces have seized an unidentified ship in Iraqi territorial waters in the Gulf suspected of smuggling fuel, the naval forces said in a statement.
Fuel smuggling is common in Gulf waters, where heavily subsidised fuel from some countries is sold on the black market to buyers across the region, though it is relatively rare for Iraqi authorities to seize ships.
A naval patrol boat intercepted the ship on Tuesday after receiving intelligence about suspected illegal activity, according to the navy statement issued late on Tuesday.
The navy said an Iranian captain, eight Indian nationals, and two Iraqi crew members were onboard the ship.
The navy released a picture of the ship, in which no name was visible. It gave no further details about the vessel.
The ship was towed to Umm Qasr naval base for further investigation, and the crew has been handed over to the local police, the navy said.


Gaza civil defense says 13 killed in Israeli strikes overnight

Updated 19 March 2025
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Gaza civil defense says 13 killed in Israeli strikes overnight

  • Israel on Tuesday launched its most intense strikes on the Gaza Strip since a January 19 ceasefire
  • The bombardments, which came after the collapse of talks on extending the truce, killed more than 400 people

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s civil defense agency said Wednesday that 13 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian territory since midnight.
Israel “carried out several air strikes... which resulted in the deaths of 13 people and wounded dozens, including women and children, in Khan Younis and Gaza City,” Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency, said.
Israel on Tuesday launched its most intense strikes on the Gaza Strip since a January 19 ceasefire between it and Palestinian militants Hamas ended more than 15 months of war.
The bombardments, which came after the collapse of talks on extending the truce, killed more than 400 people, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned late Tuesday that the strikes were “only the beginning” and that future negotiations with Hamas “will take place only under fire.”
“Hamas has already felt the strength of our arm in the past 24 hours. And I want to promise you – and them – this is only the beginning,” he said in a video statement.
Netanyahu’s office also said early Wednesday that the Israeli government had “unanimously approved” his proposal to reappoint far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir as national security minister.
Ben Gvir had resigned in protest over the January 19 ceasefire agreement, which his Jewish Power party called a “capitulation to Hamas.”
Israel has vowed to keep fighting until the return of all the hostages seized by the Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Hamas has not responded militarily so far, but in a statement it urged friendly countries to “pressure” the United States to bring to an end the strikes by its ally Israel.


Police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival, over alleged corruption and terror links

Updated 19 March 2025
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Police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival, over alleged corruption and terror links

  • The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued warrants for some 100 other people
  • The arrest came after a search of Ekrem Imamoglu’s home, a day after a university invalidated his diploma

ISTANBUL: Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links, media reported.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued warrants for some 100 other people. Authorities closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest.
The arrest came after a search of Ekrem Imamoglu’s home, a day after a university invalidated his diploma, effectively disqualifying the popular opposition figure from running in the next presidential race. Having a university degree is a requisite for running in elections under Turkish law.
The mayor’s party — the main opposition Republican People’s Party — is to hold a primary on Sunday where Imamoglu was expected to be chosen for its candidate in future presidential elections. Turkiye’s next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely.
“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged,” Imamoglu said in a video message posted on social media. He accused the government of “usurping the will” of the people.
In nullifying Imamoglu’s diploma, Istanbul University cited alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to its Faculty of Business Administration. Imamoglu said he would challenge the decision.
The opposition leader faces multiple lawsuits, including allegations of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities. The cases could result in prison sentences and a political ban.
Imamoglu is also appealing a 2022 conviction of insulting members of Turkiye’s Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could result in a political ban.
He was elected mayor of Turkiye’s largest city in March 2019 in a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which his party made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.


Iran-backed Houthis claim fourth attack against US warships

Updated 19 March 2025
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Iran-backed Houthis claim fourth attack against US warships

  • The U.S. launched a wave of strikes in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis, who said last week they were resuming attacks on Red Sea shipping to support Palestinians in Gaza

SANAA: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on Wednesday they launched another attack against American warships in the Red Sea, their fourth time firing on the carrier group in 72 hours.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson said the operation entailed “a number of cruise missiles and drones, targeting the aircraft carrier ‘USS Harry Truman’ and a number of enemy warships,” adding that the attack was “the fourth within 72 hours.”