FPI / January 5, 2024
Along with drones and missiles, the Yemen-based Houthis are receiving real-time intelligence from Iran and are using it to target vessels passing through the Red Sea, according to regional and Western officials.
Commercial vessels which have been targeted by the Houthis are tacked by a Red Sea surveillance vessel controlled by Iran’s paramilitary forces, according to officials, cited in a Wall Street Journal report. Their assessments could not be independently verified.
“The Houthis don’t have the radar technology to target the ships,” said a Western security official. “They need Iranian assistance. Without it, the missiles would just drop in the water.”
A senior Israeli official said the Iranian ship’s intelligence support for the Houthis shows that the West needs to pressure Teheran to halt its assistance, which is disrupting the global shipping trade.
“Iran is giving them weapons, and Iran could stop it,” the Israeli official said. “We need to work to put pressure on Iran, so they will stop.”
Most recently, the Houthis targeted a Norwegian cargo vessel with an anti-ship cruise missile. The ship caught fire and was forced to sail to port after being damaged. None of the crew was injured.
The Biden Administration declassified intelligence that it said showed the extent of the support Iran is providing to the Houthis for attacks in the Red Sea and on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. The intelligence release appeared to be an effort to lay the groundwork for potential military action against the Houthis.
The White House said the U.S. had found the Houthis rely on monitoring and tactical intelligence from the Iranians to target vessels and had provided Iranian-designed drones and missiles the Houthis launched toward Israel and at least one vessel in the Red Sea.
“Iranian support to these Houthi operations remains critical,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the White House’s National Security Council.
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