The recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on vessels in the Red Sea are being done 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 control a surveillance vessel that tracks information, which is then passed to the Houthis, who use it 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,” the Journal 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 some have switched off their radios to avoid being tracked online.
In response, a Houthi spokesman said that the insurgent group “didn’t need to rely on Iran” for assistance on attacks, the report continued.
Conflicting statements in supposed Iranian assistance
However, this conflicted with a Western security official who said that “they need Iranian assistance,” claiming that the Iran-proxy group “doesn’t have the radar technology to target ships.”
He went on to say 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 raise stakes for Israel and the US, the WSJ said, and that the two countries are “eager to contain Tehran’s role in the region.”
The Houthis have said that their attacks in the Red Sea are a “retaliation” for Israel’s military operations in Gaza, but in reality, 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 on its Eilat Port, even though they were intercepted by the US.