CENTCOM: Legitimate Yemen government confiscates Houthi weapons

CENTCOM released a statement today (Sunday) congratulating the legitimate government of Yemen's successful interception of Houthi weapons shipments on X.

In their statement, CENTCOM said that:

"Congratulations to the Coast Guard of the legitimate government of Yemen on their interdiction of Iranian advanced weapon components, drones, and communications gear that was destined for the Iranian backed Houthi terrorists.

"On February 12, the Yemen Coast Guard interdicted a Dhow (sailing vessel) in the Southern Red Sea that was destined for Hodeidah port and reportedly originated in Iran.

"The dhow had a 40-foot container containing qualitative military equipment, including cruise missiles' structures, jet engines used in cruise missiles and suicide drones, reconnaissance drones, in addition to marine radars, a modern jamming system, and an advanced wireless communications system."

Until recently, CENTCOM statements on X regarding Yemen and the Houthis made little, and possibly no reference to the legitimate government of Yemen, which the Iran-backed Houthis displaced from major population centers and strategic areas during the civil war in that country.

In a post from February 3, CENTCOM released this statement on the matter:

"His Excellency Moammar bin Mutahar Al-Eryani, Minister of Information for the Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) - the legitimate government of Yemen, visited U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and discussed countering Iran-backed Houthis.

"The visit and discussion are part of an effort to combat the Houthi's systematic use of disinformation and propaganda to destabilize Yemen and the broader region. Recently, the Trump Administration began the process to designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

“Regional and international interests will remain threatened as long as the Houthi militia possesses military capabilities,” said Minister Al-Eryani."

It's not clear what this shift to openly working with the legitimate Yemenite government portends, but it might possibly point to a shift in policy towards the Houthis on the part of the Trump administration and its allies in the region, whose details may emerge in the future.