Yemen's Houthis are using real-time intelligence from Iran's paramilitary forces to attack ships in the Red Sea, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Houthis are using information gathered by an Iranian surveillance vessel to direct drones and missiles to target ships, according to Western and regional security officials, the Journal reported Friday.
Officials said that Iran has assisted the Houthis despite many vessels sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait turning off their radios to avoid being tracked online.
A spokesperson for the Yemeni terrorist group downplayed Iran's assistance with the attacks.
"It’s strange to attribute everything to Iran as if it were the world’s strongest power," the Houthi spokesperson said. "We have intelligence facilities that have proven themselves over the years of aggression against us."
Western officials, though, believe the Houthis definitely have been helped by Iran — something that risks creating a new front in the conflict between Israel and its foes in the Middle East and West Asia.
"The Houthis don’t have the radar technology to target the ships," a Western security official said, WSJ reported. "They need Iranian assistance. Without it, the missiles would just drop in the water."
Although the Houthis have insisted the attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza, the ships targeted have little or no link to Israel, the Journal reported.
With the global shipping trade being affected, a senior Israeli official said the Iranians’ intelligence support for the Houthis shows that the West needs to pressure Tehran to halt its assistance.
"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."
U.S. officials on Monday expanded a multinational maritime force in the Red Sea to defend against escalating attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, CNBC reported.
The new defense, named Operation Prosperity Guardian, builds on the power of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 39-member international coalition that operates under the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet in Bahrain to protect maritime access and stability.
The European Union said Wednesday that its member countries would contribute to a U.S.-led initiative aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Shipping industry insiders expressed uncertainty about the effectiveness of the Biden administration's newly unveiled multinational initiative aimed at safeguarding Red Sea shipping from potential terrorist attacks, Breitbart reported Thursday.
Many of the world's biggest shipping lines, oil producers and other cargo owners have started diverting vessels from the region, prompting a rise in oil prices and insurance rates, according to the Journal.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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