The arsenal now possessed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has come as a shock to the Pentagon, Axios reported on Thursday. According to the outlet, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, Bill LaPlante, told a defense summit in Washington earlier this week that the group’s capabilities “are getting scary.”
The Houthis, which control the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and significant areas in the northwestern part of the country, have been disrupting shipping in the Red Sea over the past year in an attempt to pressure Israel over the war in Gaza.
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“What I’ve seen of what the Houthis have done in the last six months is something that – I’m just shocked,” LaPlante reportedly said. He added that the rebels are brandishing increasingly sophisticated weapons, including missiles that “can do things that are just amazing.”
On November 12, the Houthis announced a successful missile strike against the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, as well as attacks on two US destroyers in the Red Sea. These operations reportedly involved cruise missiles and drones. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed they were able to disrupt US forces for eight hours.
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The Pentagon claimed that the drones and missiles fired by the Houthis had been intercepted and that US warships sustained no damage. A spokesman added that he was not aware of any attack against the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The reported attack comes as tensions in the region remained heightened. The Houthis are utilizing their military advancements in order to make political demands, such as an end to what they describe as “Israeli aggression” in Lebanon.
While the US has implicated Iran in supporting the Houthis, Tehran has previously denied involvement, asserting that the militants operate independently.