From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Report: Russia provided targeting data for Houthi attacks on Western ships in Red Sea this year
Russia provided targeting data for Yemen’s Houthi attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea earlier this year, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
An anonymous source quoted in the report says the data was passed through members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps embedded with the Houthis in Yemen.
The Russian satellite data was provided to help the Iran-backed group expand its strikes, which began in November last year, in a campaign it says is in support of the Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war there.
The Red Sea has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began their campaign targeting ships traveling through the waterway, which once saw $1 trillion of cargo pass through it yearly.
Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel.
In response to the Houthi attacks, a US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes in Yemen, and Israel has attacked the port of Hodeida. The latter serves as a key location for the delivery of aid and commercial goods which are critical as the country is reliant on imports.
Citing analysts, the WSJ report says Russia is stirring instability in the Middle East to “create problems” for the United States.
There is no comment from Russia or the Houthis in the report.
Agencies contributed to this report.
