Media: Arms dealers linked to Houthis use X, WhatsApp to sell weapons

Arms dealers connected to the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen are using the platforms X and WhatsApp to sell weapons, including American-made ones, despite official bans on such trade.

According to The Guardian, citing a report by the Washington-based organisation Tech Transparency Project (TTP), these dealers have managed commercial accounts on both platforms for months, and in some cases years. A total of 130 Yemeni accounts on X and 67 business accounts on WhatsApp were identified offering rifles, grenade launchers, and other weapons. Some weapons bore markings such as “Property of the US Government” and “NATO” labels.

Many of these accounts listed their location as Sanaa, the capital of Yemen controlled by the Houthis, and posted content supporting the group. Some sellers used WhatsApp business accounts with catalogue features to showcase their weapons, as well as X Premium services, including the ability to post long videos and use tipping functions. At the same time, X and Meta officially prohibit the sale of weapons on their platforms.

A WhatsApp representative stated that the company blocks accounts when a connection to terrorist organisations is detected and that two accounts were blocked following The Guardian’s publication.

By Vugar Khalilov