The Houthis in Yemen have entered a new stage in organizing and upgrading their military capabilities, according to Arab reports. The reports say the group has expanded its smuggling networks on an unprecedented scale to obtain weapons and sensitive equipment.
Sources in Yemen told the Emirati outlet Arm News that the Houthis have managed in recent months to close significant gaps in their weapons systems that were exposed during the war in Gaza and in their confrontation with Israel. According to those sources, this has been achieved through a complex network of weapons shipments from Iran, which now reach northern Yemen via newly established land and sea routes. The smuggling network includes pathways from East Africa and the Red Sea.
🚨 A Belarus-based Rada Airlines IL-62MGr freighter (reg. 🇧🇾 EW-450TR) flew today from Tehran, Iran 🇮🇷 to Eritrea 🇪🇷, likely arriving at either Massawa or Asmara. Notably, the aircraft did not follow the usual route over the UAE and the Gulf of Aden. pic.twitter.com/hLam9mIOEl
— Rich Tedd 🛰 ✈️ (@AfriMEOSINT) November 19, 2025
A Yemeni security official said new Western intelligence indicates that Iran has shifted in recent weeks to a more sophisticated pattern of arms smuggling to the Houthis, using global air routes.
One source said military transport aircraft from Belarus in Eastern Europe, belonging to the company Reda, were seen flying between Minsk and Tehran. The report added that they later landed in unidentified locations near the Red Sea. One of the aircraft took off from an airport in Eritrea before disappearing from radar. The source noted that an Iranian aircraft flew the same route on October 27 carrying military equipment.
The source explained that this is only the first stage of the smuggling process. After the shipment is offloaded, including at coastal points in Eritrea, it is transported to northern Yemen using small vessels that are difficult to track. Intelligence assessments indicate that these smuggling networks operate at high speed and receive assistance from Eritrean officials with close ties to Iran.
Another major route originates in Somalia. According to the report, there has been an increase in the use of Somali coastal areas as transit points for weapons bound for Yemen. As part of this activity, the Houthis are reportedly cooperating with a Somali militia known as Al-Shabaab.
In this context, a Yemeni source said small Iranian vessels unload part of their cargo on the coast near Puntland in Somalia, from where the shipments are smuggled into Yemen. Sources in Yemen and Sudan were quoted saying the port city of Port Sudan has also become a central hub for smuggling to Yemen in recent months. They said the development reflects growing involvement by Sudanese military units that maintain ties with Iranian elements.
A Yemen researcher told Arm News that senior Houthi officials visited a naval base north of Port Sudan in recent weeks. The goal was to establish an alternative logistical platform following tightened restrictions on previous smuggling routes. According to the report, Iran has supplied Sudanese army units with drones, and there is suspicion that some of them are dismantled and smuggled into Yemen in parts.
