Houthi arms dealers use X, WhatsApp to sell US weapons

On July 15 it was revealed that many Houthi weapon deals were taking place across both X and Whatsapp despite site regulations, according to a report by Washington-based Tech Transparency Project (TTP), cited by The Guardian.

The investigation found over 130 Yemen-based X accounts, as well as at least 67 WhatsApp business accounts, all of which sell a myriad of rifles, grenade launchers and other military equipment, some being American-manufactured. The buyers, identified as likely militants, can pay up to $10,000 per rifle, which they can buy directly off the social media sites.

On X, many Houthi sellers were found to have bought premium, allowing them to publish extended videos with which they advertised their weaponry in depth, as well as have access to the tip feature, which buyers can use to directly send money. Additionally, on WhatsApp, dealers made business accounts in which they were able to publish “catalogues” of the rifles on sale, allowing viewers to directly pick out weapons without ever leaving the website.

Both X and Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, have policies that supposedly do not allow for the sale of weapons, with WhatsApp claiming that if they “identify or are made aware of U.S.-designated terrorist organizations attempting to use our service, we will take appropriate action.” However, these accounts seemingly bypassed all checks both WhatsApp and X claim to have in place, despite their profiles and posts clearly boasting Houthi affiliation. Both companies allowed for the sale of these weapons to go on for months, and, in some cases, years.

As director of TTP Katie Paul stated, “They are allowing arms traders linked to a U.S.-designated terrorist group to traffic weapons on their platforms.” Not only that, but X seemingly added advertisements at the bottom of these arms dealers’ posts, suggesting the company made a profit off of the Houthi deals, in direct violation of their policy.

This spike in sales comes after both X and Meta heavily rolled back content moderation. After purchasing X in 2022, Elon Musk laid off around 80 percent of the trust and safety team. WhatsApp followed suit, as in January of 2025 they stated they would limit content moderation. Both actions seemingly took place in response to Trump’s accusations of censorship on social media platforms.

Most of these accounts were created and began selling after the major layoffs at both companies. Paul holds them both accountable, stating, “Both Meta and X have the capital, the tools and the human resources to address this problem, but they’re not doing so.” TTP argued that both platforms were greatly contributing to the U.S.’ national security risks by facilitating Houthi armament.

This crisis arose in the wake of much talk surrounding Houthi weaponry. Firstly, an interception of military equipment headed to Houthi hands was just announced on July 16, alarming many. The shipment, containing up to 750 tons of equipment and bearing Iran’s hallmark, is only part of the arms Iran sends to the militias it deems part of its “Axis of Resistance.” Additionally, Israeli Defense Minister Katz just met with his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, on July 18 to discuss the financial difficulties the Israeli managers of Eilat Port were facing due to Houthi attacks.

This then begs the question of how these Houthi arm dealers were acquiring such equipment, especially as much of it is listed as “property of U.S. Govt” and “NATO,” indicating that they were used by the U.S. military.

Taimur Khan, head of Gulf regional operations at Conflict Armament Research, stated that it is difficult to track how said weapons arrive in Yemen, as the weapons being advertised “reflect all the different vectors of supply in Yemen.” Whether they come from previous stocks of American forces, trafficking channels through the Gulf, or smuggling by Iran, Khan said there is no way to be sure.