- Russia is considering equipping Yemen’s Houthi rebels with anti-ship missiles, U.S. intelligence has revealed.
- This is likely a response to Biden’s approval of Ukraine’s use of US weapons on Russian territory.
- Russia has previously expressed anger over US and UK attacks on the Houthis.
Russia considering military expansion Yemen’s Houthi rebels US intelligence agencies have warned that the missiles will be equipped with advanced anti-ship missiles. The Wall Street Journal.
This movement, Biden quietly gave the go-ahead. According to reports, Ukraine has used US-supplied weapons on Russian territory.
Last month, the Middle East Eye report Saudi Arabia had already persuaded Russia to stop providing anti-ship cruise missiles to the Houthis, and U.S. officials now believe Moscow is resuming arms sales to the rebels, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing anonymous U.S. officials, the media outlet reported that the White House wants to use a third country as an intermediary to dissuade Russia from sending weapons.
Russia had previously expressed anger over U.S. and British attacks on the Iran-backed Houthis, which began in retaliation for the militant group’s targeting of ships in the Red Sea.
The group attacked the ship. It has launched missile and drone attacks in the region since October as part of a campaign to pressure Israel and the West over the Gaza war.
Between Oct. 17 and early May, the Houthis attacked merchant ships at least 53 times and threatened naval vessels in dozens more incidents. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in January Russia has condemned the US and UK retaliatory attacks on Yemen as “illegal” under “international law”.
In total, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group had fired more than 500 rounds at Houthi drones, missiles and targets in Yemen through May. As Business Insider previously reported,.
Despite these efforts, there are concerns that the United States is not doing enough to counter such attacks.
A government official told The Wall Street Journal that US Central Command had been instructed to further narrow down potential targets for future attacks.
Business Insider has reached out to both the US Department of Defense and the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.
The Houthis have already acquired a number of anti-ship weapons in the past.
The London-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said in a January report: report The Houthis “have possessed anti-ship missiles for almost a decade and have used them to disrupt military and commercial maritime traffic,” it said.
Rebels first acquired the anti-ship missiles when they seized control of northern Yemen in late 2014 and early 2015, according to the think tank report.
These missiles include the nearly outdated Soviet-era P-21 and P-22, as well as China’s C-801, he added.
“It is unclear whether these weapons are still in service or how many of them there are,” the report continues, “but more importantly, the Houthis have acquired newer and better equipment since their earlier procurement.”
Cooperation between Russia and the Houthis is growing
Earlier this year, the Houthis Said They will not target Russian or Chinese ships passing through the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden.
In March, Houthi Politburo member Ali al-Khahoum Said “There is continuous cooperation and development of relations between Yemen, Russia, China and the BRICS countries, as well as exchange of knowledge and experience in various fields.”
“This is necessary to drown America, the United States and the West in a quagmire. [the crisis] “We will mire both countries in the Red Sea region, weaken them and make the unipolar system untenable,” he added.
