UN report: Houthi militia acquired Iranian weapons in 2019
English - Saturday 01 February 2020 الساعة 05:26 pm
aden,newsyemen
The UN Panel of Experts report on Yemen stated that in 2019 the Houthi militia acquired new weapons, some of which have similar characteristics to those produced in Iran.
"In addition to the well-known weapons systems they have until now, (the Houthis) are using a new type of Delta drone and a new type of land cruise missile," the report said, to be published soon.
According to investigators, two trends have emerged over the past year that may violate the ban. The first trend is to transport commercially available spare parts in industrial countries such as drone engines, which are delivered to the Houthis through a group of intermediaries.
The second trend is the continued delivery of Houthi machine guns, bombs, anti-tank missiles, and more advanced cruise missile systems.
Experts pointed out that “some of these weapons have technical characteristics similar to those made in Iran,” while they could not prove that the Iranian government had delivered these weapons to the Houthis. Iran has long denied arming the rebels in Yemen.
The report pointed out that the non-military and military sectors "appear to have been sent through a smuggling route that runs through Oman and the southern coast of Yemen, through areas under the control of the Yemeni government, all the way to Sana'a," which is controlled by the Houthis.
Investigators confirmed that it was "unlikely" that the Houthi rebels would be responsible for the attacks on Saudi oil facilities on September 14, 2019, even though they adopted them.
The investigators added, "Violations of international humanitarian law and human rights are still being committed on a large scale by all parties in Yemen, without accountability."
The experts said that they "identified a Houthi network involved in the repression of women who oppose the Houthis, including the use of sexual violence, led by a criminal investigation department official in Sana'a called Sultan Zaben."
