Recently declassified US intelligence indicates that Iran is deeply involved in planning operations against merchant ships in the Red Sea, US National Security Council spokeswoman Adriana Watson said.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have carried out more than 100 attacks on about a dozen merchant ships crossing the Red Sea in the past four weeks.
Recently declassified intelligence shows that “Iranian support during the Gaza crisis has allowed the Houthis to launch attacks on Israel and naval targets, even though Iran has often ceded operational decision-making authority to the Houthis,” Watson said.
“Iran has a choice whether or not to provide this support, without which it would be difficult for the Houthis to track and attack commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” Watson said.
Intelligence also suggests the Iranians have supplied the Houthis with surveillance systems that allow them to operate in maritime space, Watson said.
“Tactical intelligence provided by Iran has been crucial in allowing the Houthis to carry out attacks on ships since November,” she added. The drones and missiles used by the Houthis in their attacks have also been supplied by Iran.
Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, the Iran-backed Shiite rebels, the Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have stepped up attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea, threatening the transit route through which 12 percent of global trade is carried. The Houthis have said that any ship bound for Israel, regardless of its nationality, will be a “legitimate target” until the Gaza Strip receives the food and medicine it needs.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Monday the creation of a coalition to counter Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that more than 20 countries had joined the coalition.
2023-12-23 18:45:43
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