Russia cancelled arms delivery to Yemen’s Houthis after Saudi, US pressure

Russia was reportedly set to deliver arms and military equipment to Yemen’s Houthi rebels last month, before pulling back due to pressure by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

According to CNN, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Russia was planning to deliver military equipment including missiles to the Houthi militia in Yemen in late July, but it promptly cancelled the delivery at the last minute in a development which one senior American official declined to provide details on.

The cancellation of the delivery was reportedly a result of Saudi Arabia warning Russia against arming the Yemeni rebel group after the kingdom learned of those plans, with the US having separately asked the Saudis to convince the Russians to not go ahead with the delivery.

READ: Yemen Houthis threaten to strike sites in Saudi Arabia if it joins US aggression

According to the aforementioned US official, Washington sees any attempt by any third party or country to arm the Houthis as “antithetical to the goals we are pursuing” in regards to efforts to reach a peace deal or resolution to end the conflict in Yemen.

The official asserted that the Houthis’ interest in acquiring weapons from the Russians or others “would demonstrate to us a lack of commitment” to the peace talks, which comes at a time when the Iran-backed militia group and its leadership “appear to be drifting further away from a commitment to a negotiated peace in Yemen”.

The report cited the sources as saying that while the weapons delivery was cancelled, US officials witnessed Russia deploying military personnel to Yemen while Russian ships made a stop in the southern Red Sea, where the personnel were then picked up by the Houthis in a boat and taken shore. Those Russian military personnel were reportedly set to help advise the Houthis in their capabilities.

READ: The Gulf states will not move against Yemen’s Houthis without decisive Western intervention