Houthi-aligned forces were reported firing ZU-23 guns around Hudaydah governorate in late 2018 and January 2019; ZU-23-2-pattern mounts use twin 2A14 autocannons.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Houthi-aligned forces fired ZU-23 guns around Hudaydah governorate in late 2018 and January 2019. | |
| ZU-23-2-pattern mounts carry twin 23 mm 2A14 autocannons. | Sources: WeaponSystems.net ZU-23-2, WeaponSystems.net 23mm 2A14 |
| The documented Yemen role was direct fire against resistance, brigade, and front-line positions rather than a separately documented air-defense engagement. |
Timeline
The transmitted violation table recorded Houthi forces firing a mortar shell and a ZU-23 gun toward national resistance forces in Tuhayta.
The table listed ZU-23 fire at Hays, Jah, and Jabaliyah, including entries that reported injuries among brigade or resistance forces.
The table recorded Houthi ZU-23 fire at Hudaydah and Durayhimi on January 18, followed by additional ZU-23 entries at Durayhimi, Jabaliyah, Tuhayta, and Jah on January 19-20.
A January 31, 2019 letter from Yemen's Permanent Representative to the United Nations transmitted a ceasefire-violation table to the Security Council that repeatedly identified Houthi forces firing ZU-23 guns in Hudaydah governorate. The entries place ZU-23 fire at Tuhayta on December 18, 2018; Durayhimi, Jabaliya, Kilo 10, Kilo 13, Hays, Jah, Hudaydah, and other front-line locations in late December 2018 and January 2019.
The table identifies the weapon as a ZU-23 gun rather than naming the 2A14 separately. That connection is made through the weapon system: the ZU-23-2 mount is fitted with two 23 mm 2A14 autocannons, making ZU-23-2-pattern use direct evidence for battlefield use of the 2A14 cannon family.
Sources: UN Security Council Yemen Letter S/2019/99, WeaponSystems.net ZU-23-2
The earliest ZU-23 entry in the transmitted table is dated December 18, 2018 at Tuhayta, where Houthi forces were recorded firing a mortar shell and a ZU-23 gun toward national resistance forces.
The table then records repeated ZU-23 direct-fire incidents across the Hudaydah front. On December 31, 2018 it lists ZU-23 fire at Hays, Jah, and Jabaliyah, including entries that reported injuries. On January 18-20, 2019 it lists further ZU-23 fire at Hudaydah, Durayhimi, Tuhayta, Jabaliyah, and Jah.
The documented Yemen use was concentrated on the western coastal front around Hudaydah after the Stockholm Agreement ceasefire entered into force in December 2018. In the Security Council letter, ZU-23 guns appear as direct-fire weapons used alongside mortars, 12.7 mm and 14.5 mm machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, recoilless rifles, sniper fire, and light weapons.
The sources support Houthi-aligned use of ZU-23 gun systems in ground combat roles on the Hudaydah front. They do not identify a specific individual mount, serial number, or whether each listed ZU-23 was a towed ZU-23-2, a vehicle-mounted installation, or another local configuration using the same 23 mm gun family.
Sources: UN Security Council Yemen Letter S/2019/99, WeaponSystems.net 23mm 2A14, WeaponSystems.net ZU-23-2
