1/20/2024–|Last updated: 1/20/202405:22 PM (Mecca time)
Reuters quoted regional and Iranian sources as saying that commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Lebanese Hezbollah are in Yemen to help direct and supervise Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The sources said that Iran intensified its arms supplies to the Houthis following the war in the Gaza Strip, and that it provided them with advanced drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, precision ballistic missiles, and medium-range missiles.
The sources stated that commanders and advisors in the Revolutionary Guards also provide data and intelligence support to identify ships that pass through the Red Sea daily towards Israel in order to target them.
Reuters also quoted an Iranian source that a group of Houthi fighters were in Iran last month, and were trained at a Revolutionary Guard base to learn about new technology and the use of missiles.
American accusation and Iranian denial
The White House previously pointed the finger at Tehran for its support for the Houthis, in a public statement following a request for comment from Reuters.
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani denied Tehran’s relationship with the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
At dawn on January 12, the United States and Britain launched a series of strikes on Houthi military sites in Yemen, before the American army – the next day and this week – again targeted Houthi sites.
This targeting came in response to the attacks carried out by the Houthis in recent weeks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, which they say are linked to or headed to Israel, in support of the Gaza Strip. Israel has been waging a war on the Gaza Strip since October 7th.
A week ago, the Houthis also began targeting ships linked to the United States and Britain, in response to these two countries’ strikes on them.