The recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on vessels in the Red Sea are being done so with intelligence provided by Iran’s paramilitary forces, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal on Friday, citing Western and regional security officials.
The report claims that Iranian paramilitary forces controls a surveillance vessel that tracks information which is then passed to the Houthis, which are then used by the Yemeni group to attack ships in the Red Sea, particularly through the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The Iranian vessel stationed in the region is “enabling the Houthi drones and missiles to accurately target the ships,” WSJ reported, citing officials.
Oil producers and shipping lines from around the world have been diverting their vessels from the area, fearing attacks by the insurgent group, and vessels have switched off their radios to avoid being tracked online.
Conflicting statements in supposed Iranian assistance
In response, a Houthi spokesperson said that the insurgent “didn’t need to rely on Iran” for assistance on attacks, the report continued. However, this was conflicted with a Western security official saying that “They need Iranian assistance,” as he claims that the Iran-proxy group “doesn’t have the radar technology to target ships.”
He went on to sat that without Iran’s assistance, “the missiles would just drop in the water.”
“It’s strange to attribute everything to Iran as if it were the world’s strongest power. We have intelligence facilities that have proven themselves over the years of aggression against us.”
The insurgent group’s attacks raises stakes for Israel and the US, the Journal which went on to state that the two countries are “eager to contain Tehran’s role in the region.”
The Houthis have said that the attacks in the Red Sea are a “retaliation” to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, but the ships they’ve attacked have had little to no links to the Jewish state.
The Journal also stated that Israel has been angered by Houthi attacks to the Eilat port, though such attacks were intercepted by the US.
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