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U.S. Navy announces seizure of over 2k assault rifles hidden on wooden boat bound for Yemen

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The United States Navy announced this weekend that it had seized over 2,000 weapons of war from a wooden boat bound for Yemen in the Arabian Sea on January 6, and believes the weapons were being sent to Houthi rebels.

According to the Navy, its guided missile cruiser, the USS Monterey, discovered the wooden sailing ship and approached the vessel. US Navy personnel boarded the boat and found the arms hidden below deck wrapped in green plastic.

In total, 2,116 rifles were found, along with dozens of sniper rifles, machine guns, and missiles. 

The US sailors interviewed the six crew members on board and determined the vessel had indeed come from Iran, pointing to ongoing shipments of arms to Yemen’s Houthi rebels in spite of a United Nations weapons embargo that has been in effect since February 2022. None of the crew members were detained after questioning. 

The Islamic Republic has been caught several times providing the Houthi rebels with arms since the bloody war in Yemen began in 2014.

In 2021 the Navy intercepted a similar weapons shipment on a boat in the North Arabian Sea. The USS Monterey was involved in that seizure as well. The Navy has not shared the specific evidence that led to the conclusion that that arms were bound for the Houthis, but a Navy spokesperson said in a statement to the Associated Press that there is sufficient proof.

ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE 

PHOTO CREDITS: AP NEWS

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Laura Spivak

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

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