Iran Helps Houthis Take Aim At Red Sea Shipping

"Iran's paramilitary forces are providing real-time intelligence and weaponry, including drones and missiles, to Yemen's Houthis that the rebels are using to target ships passing through the Red Sea, said Western and regional security officials.

Tracking information gathered by a Red Sea-surveillance vessel controlled by Iran's paramilitary forces is given to the Houthis, who recently have used it to attack commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to the officials.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon unveiled plans for a multinational naval force to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, 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.

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, the officials said.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations didn't respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Houthis said the group didn't need to rely on Iran to help in its attacks. "It's strange to attribute everything to Iran as if it were the world's strongest power," the spokesperson said. "We have intelligence facilities that have proven themselves over the years of aggression against us."

The direct involvement by Iranian actors in the attacks raises the stakes for Israel and the U.S., which are eager to contain Tehran's role in the region, and risks creating a new front in the conflict between Israel and its foes in the region, just as the U.S. is trying to stop it from escalating.

"The Houthis don't have the radar technology to target the ships," a Western security official said. "They need Iranian assistance. Without it, the missiles would just drop in the water."

White House and Pentagon officials have demanded the Houthis stop attacks on commercial vessels and U.S. Navy ships. Meanwhile, U.S. officials privately have said they are looking at an offensive military response to the attacks.

On Friday, the White House 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. found the Houthis rely on monitoring and tactical intelligence from the Iranians to target vessels, and provided Iranian-designed drones and missiles the Houthis launched toward Israel and at least one vessel in the Red Sea.

The U.S. has said Iran was enabling the Houthi attacks on ships but hadn't said how until now. Iran for years has supplied weapons to the rebels in their battle against Saudi-backed foes in Yemen.

While the Houthis have said the assaults are in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza, the ships they have attacked have little or in some cases no links to Israel.

Washington has told Israel to let the U.S. military respond to the Houthis instead of taking action that could expand its conflict with Hamas and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, said U.S. and other government officials.

A senior Israeli official said the Iranian ship's intelligence support for the Houthis shows that the West needs to pressure Tehran to halt its assistance, which is disrupting the global shipping trade.

Israel also has been angered by Houthi missile attacks targeting the southern port of Eilat, though they were intercepted by U.S. defenses.

U.S. officials say there is little indication that Iran is attempting to dissuade the Houthis from the attacks, though other officials acknowledge the group is a "wild card" and hard to control.

The intelligence the U.S. declassified and released on Friday purports to link Iran to the specific weaponry the Houthi militants used in recent attacks in the Red Sea and against Israel.

On Oct. 19, the Houthis launched 29 KAS-04 OWAs drones from Yemen and at least three land-attack cruise missiles, the U.S. intelligence showed. Those weapons systems were designed by Iran, according to U.S. officials. Another Houthi attack against the commercial tanker M/V Central Park on Nov. 27 used the same kind of ballistic missiles Iran has supplied to the Houthis, U.S. officials said.

On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that his country could retaliate against the threats coming out of Yemen. "If they continue to provoke us, try to attack Eilat with missiles or by other means, we will know what to do," he said, speaking onboard a warship sailing near the Israeli port. "We are preparing. The troops here are ready for any mission and any command."

In messages passed to the U.S. through Switzerland and in public, Iran has said it had no control over the actions of the Houthi and other forces in the Middle East that have attacked U.S. and Israeli targets in response to the war in Gaza." [1]

1. Iran Helps Houthis Take Aim At Red Sea Shipping. Faucon, Benoit; Lieber, Dov; Lubold, Gordon.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 23 Dec 2023: A.1.