Arms dealers in Yemen use the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to openly sell Kalashnikovs, pistols, grenades, and grenade launchers. These dealers mainly operate in the capital Sana'a and in areas controlled by the Houthi rebels – an Iran-backed group that is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and Australia.

Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British ambassador to Yemen and now working for the Counter Extremism Project, emphasizes: "It is unthinkable that these arms dealers are not acting on behalf of the Houthis." He adds that private traders attempting to sell weapons to the Yemeni government would be quickly stopped.

An investigation by the British newspaper The Times revealed that several Yemeni accounts on the platform even had the blue verification checkmark. Despite repeated requests, neither The Times nor the BBC has received a statement from X so far. Since the takeover by Elon Musk in 2022, most of the platform's content moderators have been dismissed, which has significantly hampered the control over illegal activities.

The advertisement, which is primarily written in Arabic, is mainly aimed at Yemeni customers in a country where it is said that the number of weapons outnumbers the population by three times. The BBC found several examples of online ads offering weapons at prices in Yemeni and Saudi Riyal. The ads are often accompanied by enticing descriptions to attract potential buyers. For example, one offer advertises "first-class craftsmanship and excellent warranty" and promotes a modified AK-47 as "the best choice." In a demonstration video recorded at night, the seller shows himself firing a 30-round magazine in full automatic mode. Another offer touts sand-colored Glock pistols made in Pakistan for around 900 US dollars.

These ads, however, are not hidden in the depths of the Dark Web, where illegal goods are typically traded, but are openly accessible to millions of people on X. In light of this, the UK-based NGO Tech Against Terrorism has issued an urgent call to technology platforms to actively remove content supporting the Houthis from the internet and social media platforms.

The Houthis, a tribal-based minority from the mountains, seized power in Yemen in 2014 and overthrew the UN-recognized government. Since then, a seven-year military intervention led by Saudi Arabia has failed to remove them, while the country descended into civil war. In late 2023, the Houthis, who possess an extensive arsenal of drones and missiles, many of them of Iranian origin, increased their attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea. Although the Houthis claim to carry out these attacks in the name of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, many of the targeted ships had no connection to Israel.

A U.S.-led maritime operation off the coast was unable to prevent Houthi attacks on shipping, which has had devastating effects on trade through the Suez Canal in Egypt.

These developments raise serious questions about the role of social media platforms in the distribution and sale of weapons and highlight the need for stricter controls and moderation on these platforms.