A weapon threatening global security

Al Arabiya

10-07-2025

In Lebanon, Hezbollah's weapons are no longer just a divisive domestic issue. They have evolved into an international concern that threatens global peace, hinders the establishment of a functioning state, and paralyzes the entire political system. Despite the cautious optimism expressed by US Envoy Tom Barrack regarding Lebanon's response to the disarmament file, the party's leadership continues to reaffirm its unwavering attachment to its arms. As stated explicitly by Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem: 'Hezbollah can't be told to give up our weapons.' This statement is not just political posturing – it is a clear declaration that weapons have become a substitute identity for the state itself, serving as a shield for consolidating power rather than liberating land.
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The model of a party or faction monopolizing power outside of state institutions is not unique to Lebanon. We also see it in Yemen, though it has escalated there in a more alarming form. Last week, Yemen's Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani warned of the start of ballistic missile and drone manufacturing programs being localized in areas under Houthi control – specifically in Saada, Hajjah, and the outskirts of Sanaa. According to al-Eryani's warning, the situation has moved beyond smuggling into a stage of organized transfer of advanced military capabilities into environments that fall outside any form of legal oversight and do not recognize the concept of a national state.
The shift from merely using weapons to manufacturing them within areas outside of control not only threatens Yemen, but also pushes regional and global security to the brink. Yemen's geographic position near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Arabian Sea makes it a vital corridor for global trade. Any tension or escalation in this region would destabilize international shipping routes and global supply chains.
These warnings do not appear isolated from the broader international context. A 2022 report by Canada's National Defence Studies Centre noted that the Houthis, along with four other groups in the region, have developed advanced and sustainable drone programs. These programs differ in methods but are equally dangerous. The report emphasized that the real threat lies not just in possessing the technology but in incorporating it into aggressive military doctrines beyond any legal or regulatory framework.
The report stressed that innovation and rapid adaptation in such programs – especially in areas beyond state control – represent a serious challenge that cannot be countered by traditional means. According to the report, each armed group has developed its own approach to drone warfare, tailored to its operational environment and objectives. This makes such programs flexible, scalable, and too complex to be addressed through temporary or reactive measures.
What we are witnessing today cannot be dismissed as a passing or temporary phenomenon. It is the result of a long path of accumulating advanced weaponry in the hands of groups that do not recognize state sovereignty and are not hesitant to use these weapons across borders – in open defiance of the state. If Hezbollah's experience in Lebanon has ended in political paralysis and factional dominance over state institutions, then what the Houthis are building in Yemen signals something far more dangerous: a wide-open threat to global maritime security, given its proximity to a strategic waterway and one of the most vital straits in global supply chains.
The real danger lies in the political vacuum that allows such groups to develop, store, and operate weapons without accountability or oversight. In an extremely sensitive region like the southern Red Sea, any reckless act could ignite a crisis that spreads far beyond the Yemeni conflict.
Even so, the responsibility of Yemen's legitimate government is not only to express concern, but also to strengthen its political presence and intensify its efforts to confront this threat – even if that requires seeking international support to control the situation. Additionally, there must be a way to bring the Houthis back to the negotiating table in an attempt to find a way out of the broader crisis.
Leaving this type of weaponry in areas beyond state control will transform Yemen from a site of internal conflict into a platform for global threat.
Dealing with the issue of drones and ballistic missiles outside of state authority has become an urgent necessity that demands coordinated international action. When weapons are made in the shadows, tested at sea, and launched across borders, then talk of local security becomes meaningless – because the threat is now global, and weapons no longer recognize borders.