The United States handed over to Kyiv part of the weapons that Iran sent to the Houthis
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The United States handed over small arms and ammunition to Ukraine, confiscated when they were sent by the Iranian forces operating in Yemen to the Houthi group, which is supported by Tehran. American servicemen reported this on April 9.
As noted, the transfer of weapons to Kyiv took place last week: at a time when Ukraine is experiencing an acute shortage of ammunition to repel Russian attacks, Republican lawmakers in the United States are blocking the allocation of a new large aid package to Kyiv.
“On Thursday, the US government handed over more than 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s, and more than 500,000 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement posted in social networks. The American command emphasizes that weapons will help Ukraine defend itself against Russian invasion.
The document notes that the amount of weapons transferred is enough to equip one brigade, the Voice of America notes.
Weapons and ammunition were seized between May 2021 and February 2023 from four vessels used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to supply the Houthis in Yemen, CENTCOM said.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have been attacking civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
“Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel and citizens in the region, as well as our partners. We will continue to do everything possible to shed light on Iran’s destabilizing activities and stop them,” CENTCOM emphasized.
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