American intelligence has learned that Yemen’s Houthis have discussed how to provide weapons to the Somalia-based al-Shabaab group, while the American government described it as a worrying issue that threatens the stability of the region, which is already experiencing violence.
Officials are now looking for evidence that the Houthi weapons have been delivered to Somalia, and they are trying to find out whether Iran, which provides military and financial support to the Houthis, is involved in this deal.
The United States has been warning countries in the region about this potential partnership in recent weeks, according to a senior official in the US administration.
US intelligence has raised the possibility that this could worsen the situation in Somalia, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where the Houthis have been attacking commercial ships and US military assets since the start of the Gaza war.
The U.S. says the Houthis could give al-Shabaab access to new sources of weapons — including potentially drones — that are more sophisticated than their current weapons, and could give the group the ability to attack U.S. targets. .
There has been regular smuggling of small arms and trade materials between various groups in Yemen and Somalia for years. But an arms deal between Al-Shabaab and the Houthis will be new, according to US officials.
