Houthi Militias Pose Threat to the United Nations – Details
The Houthi terrorist militia has threatened the United Nations; on the basis of a new inspection mechanism for granting entry permits to ships in Yemeni ports under the group’s authority.
Houthi leader Hussein al-Izzi, who is appointed deputy foreign minister in Sanaa’s internationally-recognized government, accused the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission of committing arbitrary measures in violation of the resolution, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah Channel.
Al-Izzi said in a tweet that his group will be forced to take a “major historic decision” if these decisions are not corrected, without disclosing what the decision is or the type of UN violations.
The UN Security Council has approved the establishment of a UN special mechanism, tasked with verifying and inspecting all ships bound for the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida on the Red Sea coast.
The mechanism was established at the request of the internationally recognized Yemeni government to ensure compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216 on the arms embargo.
The verification and inspection mechanism is managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services, based in Djibouti on the other side of the Red Sea.
All commercial vessels and oil tankers heading to Hodeida are subject to rigorous inspections to prevent arms smuggling into Yemen, and since 2016, the UN mechanism has cleared nearly 1,700 ships to ensure that essential items such as food, fuel, and other commercial goods reach Yemen.
Security forces in al-Mahra province, which borders Oman, recently seized a shipment of drone engines and other military equipment en route to the Houthis.
Earlier this month, the US Navy announced the seizure of more than 2,000 assault rifles smuggled aboard a fishing boat in a sea corridor between Iran and Yemen.
This comes days after the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet seized one million rounds of ammunition, valves, and rocket fuel that were being smuggled from Iran to Yemen.
In mid-April 2022, the US Navy unveiled a new multinational force to counter arms smuggling in the waters around Yemen.
Hodeida is the most important port of passage for Iranian arms to the Houthis, with the rest of the routes tightened, which explains the Houthi group’s reaction to UN restrictions on ships arriving at the port.
