Iranian paramilitary forces are providing tracking information that the Houthis in Yemen are using to launch drone and missile attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Houthi group has over the past month attacked merchant vessels sailing through the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel's assault on Gaza, leading some shipping companies to switch routes.
Citing Western and regional security officials, the report said the intelligence is being gathered by an Iranian vessel and then transferred to the Houthis, allowing the Iran-backed militias to target ships that have switched their transponders off.
“The Houthis don’t have the radar technology to target the ships,” an unnamed Western security official told the newspaper. “They need Iranian assistance. Without it, the missiles would just drop in the water.”
The report came as the White House alleged on Friday that Iran was "deeply involved" in planning operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and its intelligence was critical to enable the Houthi movement's targeting of maritime vessels.
"We have no reason to believe that Iran is trying to dissuade the Houthis from this reckless behavior, White House national security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
