Russia has given Yemen’s Houthi rebels the targeting data they needed to attack Western ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. It has enabled the Iranian-backed group to fire direct hits on both the ships and international trade. The US has actively sought to intervene against these attacks and destroy Houthi missiles.
The Houthis began attacking shipping in late 2023 as they tried to intervene against Israel and its Western backers in the Gaza war. Their primary attempts were not very successful until they were provided with Russian satellite data that enabled them to execute pinpoint strikes. According to The Journal, the information went from Russia to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which had some of its members stationed in Yemen with the Houthis.
Russia’s willingness to share its technology with the Houthis might stem from its accusation that the US has used its targeting data to allow Ukraine to hit sites in Russia with drones. The US has denied doing this, even as it has designated the Houthis as a terrorist group.
The Houthi attacks on shipping have become part of a larger problem in the Middle East as the war in Gaza continues to intensify and expand into Lebanon and potentially spill over into conflict with Iran. The war is clearly regional and has combined with the US support of Ukraine has stretched US military resources and created a two-pronged risk of nuclear war. On Thursday at the BRICS summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Middle East is on the precipice of a major war.
“For Russia, any flare up anywhere is good news, because it takes the world’s attention further away from Ukraine and the US needs to commit resources—Patriot systems or artillery shells—and with the Middle East in play, it’s clear where the U.S. will choose,” Alexander Gabuev, director of Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told The Journal.
Neither Russia nor the Houthis have yet responded to The Journal’s request for comment about the shared targeting data, the first time this phenomenon has been reported.
As it continues to respond to NATO expansion, Russia has sought military partnerships with authoritarian regimes in North Korea and Iran, The Journal noted. Both countries have supplied armaments to Russia while North Korea has actually deployed 3,000 troops to Russia for training maneuvers. It’s a win-win for Russia, The Journal noted, providing assistance for the war in Ukraine while undermining US interests in the Middle East.
