The United Kingdom revealed a noticeable increase in the number of ships entering ports under the control of the Houthi militia in Hodeidah Governorate, without being subject to inspection by the UN mechanism.

The British Permanent Representative to the United Nations stated: Barbara Woodward, in her speech before the UN Security Council meeting, Monday, said that there was a noticeable increase in the number of ships that entered the ports controlled by the Houthis without informing the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM), according to the mission’s information.

She added that the reported violations indicate that up to 500 shipments of materials not subject to UN inspection have entered Hodeidah since October 2023.

Woodward stressed the need to strengthen the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism, which is “a critical mechanism to restrict the supply of illicit weapons to Yemen,” and called on all ships to comply with the necessary inspections.

The Yemeni government accuses the Iranian regime of violating the Security Council resolution regarding the arms embargo in Yemen, by continuing to smuggle weapons, equipment and military technologies to the Houthi militia via sea smuggling routes

The United Nations Verification System (UNVIM) was established in 2016, under UN Resolution 2216, with the aim of preventing the smuggling of weapons within humanitarian supplies destined for Yemen.