By Al-Fassel | 2025-10-07

Yemeni authorities have uncovered what analysts describe as the strongest evidence yet of Chinese and Iranian support for Houthi militarization: a cache of advanced drone and missile manufacturing equipment concealed inside ordinary cargo at Aden Port.

The discovery underscores how Tehran and Beijing are enabling a conflict that has left millions of Yemenis facing famine, disease, and homelessness.

The 58-container shipment, weighing more than 2,500 tons, was intercepted on August 2 during a routine customs inspection. Its full contents were not revealed until early October, Yemeni news outlet Defense Line reported.

Hidden arsenal

Arriving from Djibouti and disguised as commercial goods, the shipment was intended for Houthi-controlled Hodeidah but was diverted to Aden following restrictions on vessels entering the former port.

Inside, inspectors found complete drone-manufacturing lines, jet engines, launch platforms, industrial lathes and presses, surveillance and jamming systems, along with carbon fiber, aluminum alloys, and other raw materials for missile production.

Imagery released by Yemeni authorities indicated that many components were of Chinese origin and included stainless-steel pressure tanks used to store chemicals.

According to Defense Line sources, the Iranian regime has been supplying the Houthis with hazardous materials critical for ballistic-missile and solid-fuel production.

In June, Yemeni forces also seized more than 750 tons of Iranian munitions aboard a dhow bound for Houthi territory.

Analysts say these incidents reveal a coordinated effort between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Chinese entities to rebuild and expand Houthi weapons capabilities.

The IRGC provides training, funding, and strategic oversight, turning the Houthis into a proxy force capable of threatening international shipping and neighboring states while allowing Tehran plausible deniability.

China's calculated advantage

Beijing pursues what Middle East analyst Mohammad Salami calls a policy of controlled instability in the Red Sea, maintaining enough chaos to complicate Western maritime operations and safeguard its own shipping lanes.

Chinese firms have supplied dual-use technologies and quietly coordinated with Tehran and top Houthi officials to protect Chinese vessels.

As the Iranian regime seeks to project power and advance its regional agenda, Beijing leverages the instability to strengthen its economic foothold.

Together, they have turned Yemen into a weapons-manufacturing hub that endangers one of the world's most vital trade routes.

Human cost

The influx of weapons has intensified Houthi activity and deepened Yemen's suffering.

Aid groups report a surge in Houthi kidnappings of humanitarian workers, journalists, and civilians — a tactic the Iran-backed group uses to silence dissent and extract ransom payments as its finances tighten.

Years of violence have stripped the population of food, medicine, and safe shelter, pushing the country's humanitarian collapse into a new phase of despair.

Analysts say the international community now faces a choice between confronting those who perpetuate the war or allowing Iran and China to tighten their grip on a nation already brought to its knees.