Iran is providing real-time intelligence to Yemen’s Houthis that the rebels are using to direct drone and missile attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing Western and regional security officials.
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According to the officials, a surveillance vessel controlled by Iran’s paramilitary forces in the Red Sea is gathering tracking information and passing it to the Houthis, who have used it to attack commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait in recent days.
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A Houthi gunman walking past the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, hijacked by Iranian-backed rebels in November
(Photo: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB)
The report comes just days after the U.S. announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea following a series of attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis on shipping vessels.
"This is an international challenge that demands collective action. Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement during a visit to Bahrain early on Tuesday.
The recurring attacks on one of the world's busiest trade routes prompted major container shippers to divert vessels from the region, spurring a rise in oil prices and insurance rates.
According to the Wall Street Journal, many vessels sailing in the strait have been switching off their radios to avoid being tracked online, but an Iranian vessel stationed in the Red Sea is enabling the Houthi drones and missiles to accurately target the ships.