A Houthi fighter mans a machine gun mounted on a truck during a parade for people who attended Houthi military training as part of a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

i24 News — A secret collaboration between Beijing and the Houthis has been uncovered, revealing a vast network of supply of sophisticated armaments that threatens the stability of the Red Sea. According to American intelligence sources speaking to i24NEWS, the Iran-backed Yemeni terror group is using Chinese-made weapons in their attacks, in exchange for immunity for ships flying the Chinese flag.

US intelligence services have identified a complex supply chain set up by the Houthis in China since the beginning of the attacks in the Red Sea. This network allows them to acquire advanced components and guidance equipment for their ballistic and cruise missiles.

Even more worrying, Houthi leaders are reportedly planning to manufacture hundreds of cruise missiles capable of striking Persian Gulf states, using these same Chinese components. Washington has repeatedly passed on this information to Beijing since September, including detailed lists of Chinese companies involved in this arms mechanism.

“Houthi officials have visited China several times last summer and fall, probably for meetings with high-ranking officials of the regime,” says a diplomatic source. In the face of Beijing’s inaction, the United States now threatens to act jointly with Israel to cut off these Chinese trade networks from the global financial system.