Houthis’ weapon supply lines must be cut

Arab News · Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg · 2026-10-15 15:03 UTC

Houthis’ weapon supply lines must be cut

The growing number of attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia is fueled by the large stock of missiles and drones amassed by the group over recent years. Although the UN has imposed an arms embargo on the group since 2015, the embargo has been largely ineffective. And although the UN Security Council has called it a terrorist group since 2022 and many countries have also designated it as such, the Houthi militia still enjoys support from a handful of states, chiefly Iran, and smuggling networks that maintain a steady flow of weapons to the outlaw group.

The London-based Conflict Armament Research has done extensive work over the years to track how the Houthis source and assemble advanced weaponry through international smuggling networks, tracing components from Iran and, more recently, direct or indirect supplies originating from manufacturers in other countries.

UNSC Resolution 2216 of April 14, 2015, imposed the embargo under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, meaning force could be used to enforce it. However, the UN stopped the Yemeni government from enforcing the embargo. Instead, it established weak mechanisms that were easily circumvented by the Houthis, allowing massive shipments of weapons to slip into Yemen without much difficulty.

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