US sanctions Houthi weapons procurement network

The United States sanctions two people and four firms for facilitating the procurement of weapons on behalf of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The group began launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, forcing many shipping companies to alter their routes and triggering retaliatory strikes by the United States and its allies.

Today’s sanctions target “procurement operatives, shipment facilitators and suppliers” based in Yemen and China who have sourced dual-use equipment for use in the Houthis’ advanced weapons systems, the Treasury Department says in a statement.

It says that those sanctioned have “directly supported” the Yemeni rebels’ efforts to procure “military-grade materials abroad,” which were then shipped to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, enabling their ongoing attacks.

The Houthis “have sought to exploit key jurisdictions like the PRC [People’s Republic of China[ and Hong Kong in order to source and transport the components necessary for their deadly weapons systems,” US Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson says.

The Treasury will continue to target these “facilitators” who enable Houthi activities, he adds.

Those sanctioned include Al-Shahari United Corporation, a company based in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which allegedly relied on a branch office in the Chinese city of Guangzhou to facilitate shipments to Yemen.

The US Treasury also sanctions a Yemeni businessman named Maher Yahya Muhammad Mutahar al-Kinai, who it says has coordinated with other Houthi operatives to “facilitate shipments of dual-use equipment and components.”