By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2024-05-30

ADEN -- Al-Qaeda's acquisition of drone technology from Iran via the Houthis is another example of the ongoing mutual assistance between the two groups that further jeopardizes security in Yemen and the region, analysts and officials said.

On May 17, al-Qaeda used Iranian-made drones in an attack on a military post in Abyan province's Wadi Omran, injuring three soldiers, local media reported.

Tehran provides drones to al-Qaeda "as long as they do not harm Iran and are used to attack its foes," Abaad Center for Strategic Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

The presence of al-Qaeda leaders in Iran and al-Qaeda's use of Iranian weapons in Yemen are a clear indication that there is "a highly coordinated operations room with the Houthis in Tehran," he said.

This operations room apparently coordinates the supply of weapons and drones to armed groups in the region, he added.

Drone technology can be dangerous, especially when it is in the hands of groups such as al-Qaeda and the Houthis, he said, noting that this "threatens not only Yemen's security but also regional and global security."

Threatening regional security

The Houthis' ongoing attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea and adjacent waterways may encourage other bad actors, such as pirates and terrorist groups, to acquire drones and "emulate the Houthis," Mohammed said.

This could place borders, oil sources and commercial ships in international shipping lanes at risk, he said.

In a May 8 post on X, Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar al-Eryani warned about cooperation between Iran and extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).

The support Iran extends to these groups, including providing them with thermal missiles, drones and reconnaissance equipment, enables them to carry out complex attacks meant to destabilize the region, he said.

The cooperation between the Houthis and various extremist groups, with Tehran's support, aims to achieve common goals including weakening the Yemeni state and expanding regional chaos, al-Eryani said.

This threatens the stability of neighboring countries and poses a danger to international trade and maritime navigation, he added.