By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-08-21

ADEN -- Yemen's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) intercepted a shipment of Chinese-made drone factory components on August 2, preventing the Iran-backed Houthis from establishing what analysts describe as the group's first semi-industrial production line for attack drones.

The equipment, packed into five containers and falsely declared as car parts, was offloaded at the Port of Aden from a vessel arriving directly from China, according to The Maritime Executive.

The operation, carried out jointly by the CTS, Attorney General's Office, Customs Authority, and Free Zone Security, uncovered drone manufacturing units, wireless devices, and jet propulsion systems.

The CTS said the operation followed precise intelligence about suspicious containers aboard a vessel originally bound for the Port of al-Hodeidah, which had diverted to Aden due to recent airstrikes.

The Houthis have increasingly relied on components sourced from China. In March, a shipment of 800 Chinese-made drone propellers was intercepted on the Yemen-Oman border.

Last year, the Yemeni National Resistance Forces seized Chinese hydrogen fuel cell components intended for advanced drones in the southern Red Sea.

"This is the first time clear and comprehensive evidence has emerged showing that the Houthis are attempting to establish a self-sustaining drone and missile manufacturing capability using Chinese-sourced equipment," according to Yemen analyst Mohammed al-Basha.

The successful seizures demonstrate that Yemen's legitimate security forces can effectively protect the country's maritime borders when properly resourced and coordinated, political analyst Mahmoud al-Taher told Al-Fassel.

Leveraging China's industrial base

These developments represent a dangerous shift in the Iranian regime's strategy for supporting the Houthis, al-Taher said.

"Tehran no longer relies solely on arms smuggling from its territory or through regional proxies. It now exploits China's industrial base, under the guise of international trade, to import advanced equipment for drone manufacturing."

He added that Beijing's supply of drone-making equipment to the Houthis, whether directly or through private firms, "amounts to supporting their subversive activities."

"If not addressed firmly, the Houthis could produce drones more cheaply and in greater numbers," al-Taher warned.

"This would prolong the conflict and increase threats to neighboring countries and maritime navigation."

The use of commercial shipping routes to disguise illicit cargo shows Tehran's determination to circumvent international oversight, al-Taher noted.

"Iran is flooding Yemen with weapons, drones, and various types of military equipment," said political analyst Abdul Sattar Saif al-Shamiri.

"There are more than 1,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) experts in Yemen working in workshops to assemble aircraft and missiles," al-Shamiri said.

These workshops are modeled on facilities Iran set up in Lebanon for Hizbullah, he told Al-Fassel.