The Houthis received satellite data from the Russian Federation to launch missile and drone attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, including representatives of the European defense ministries.
Two sources claim that Russian satellite data helped the Houthis expand their attacks. It is noted that the data was transmitted through the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global trade as shippers have had to divert ships to a longer and more expensive route around Africa.
The WSJ writes that Russia’s assistance to the Houthis demonstrates how far Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is willing to go to undermine the US-led Western economic and political order. By April 2024, the United States had spent about a billion dollars to destroy Houthi drones and missiles and protect shipping in the Red Sea. Washington also sent B-2 Spirit bombers to the region to strike Houthi arsenals.
The Houthis began attacking Western ships in the Red Sea after the outbreak of war between Israel and the pro-Palestinian group Hamas late last year. Since November 2023, the Houthis have fired on more than 100 ships, sinking two of them and capturing one.