Iranian paramilitary forces are reportedly aiding Yemen's Houthi rebels by supplying real-time intelligence on merchant ship movements in the region, according to Western security officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
The intelligence, which is relayed from an Iranian vessel stationed in the Red Sea, is used by the rebels to track ships traversing the Bab El-Mandeb strait.
In recent weeks, the rebels have launched a series of attacks on merchant vessels passing through the strait, one of which struck a Norwegian merchant vessel with an anti-ship missile. A Western security official told The Wall Street Journal, The Houthis dont have the radar technology to target the ships. They need Iranian assistance. Without it, the missiles would just drop in the water.
A Houthi spokesperson, however, refuted these claims, stating, Its strange to attribute everything to Iran as if it were the worlds strongest power. We have intelligence facilities that have proven themselves over the years of aggression against us.
Iran is also recognized as a significant supporter of Hamas. In response to the attacks on merchant shipping, the Pentagon has announced plans for a multinational task force, as several companies have rerouted their vessels to avoid the strait, according to Reuters.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in an interview with Fox News host Martha MacCallum, stated, Nothing that the Houthis do happens without Iranian complicity. This spy vessel is not a surprise. The fact that the armaments, the capabilities that they have are coming out of Yemen isnt because of an indigenous capability in Yemen, its because of Iranian technology.
The rebels have launched numerous attacks on merchant vessels and have attempted others, including one that was foiled when the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, shot down 14 drones fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday.
Pompeo further told MacCallum, We can get complete military dominance there. We understood this risk. We took down ships, showed the weapons to the world coming out of Iran. If you placate them, if you say were going to stop the drones from hitting our ships but dont impose a cost on them, its certainly the case that they will continue their aggressive actions and at some point theyll kill more Americans.
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