File photo: Houthi rebels tap Chinese supply for missile ambitions
A September 23 investigation by Bloomberg examined four shipping containers seized at Yemen’s southern port of Aden. Shipping records reviewed by Bloomberg showed dozens of containers moving under 41 bills of lading. In 25 cases, the Yemeni importer named in the shipping documents was changed while the cargo was in transit.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels are seeking to manufacture advanced ballistic missiles using components sourced from China, potentially giving the group the ability to strike targets across Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ report, based on findings from Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a group that traces weapons and their supply chains in conflict zones, said Yemeni authorities intercepted two shipments last year containing components needed to build a missile modelled on Iran’s Kheibar Shekan precision-guided ballistic missile. Aden authorities said the changes were intended to conceal the Houthi-linked companies behind the shipments. But weapons experts said the combination of components pointed to a supply chain capable of supporting domestic missile and drone production. Henry Thompson, a former expert on the UN panel monitoring sanctions on Yemen, said there was evidence that the Houthis had been importing components for solid-fuel ballistic missiles from China for at least two years. China has said it complies with the UN arms embargo on the Houthis and maintains controls on military exports and dual-use goods.
A separate investigation by Bloomberg has documented a wider supply network bringing missile parts, drone components and industrial machinery into Yemen. The cargo had been shipped from China and was bound for Hodeidah, a Red Sea port controlled by the Houthis. The investigation also identified a broader commercial network connecting Chinese exporters with cargo bound for Houthi-controlled territory. Some of the seized equipment could have legitimate civilian uses. Medium-range ballistic missiles, he warned, could allow the group to strike deeper into Saudi Arabia with larger payloads than cruise missiles and drones. The reports, however, raise questions about how specialised components and industrial equipment are reaching the group through commercial supply chains.
