IRGC & Hezbollah Commanders Help In Directing Houthi Ship Attacks In Red Sea

Commanders from Lebanon’s Hezbollah organisation and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are apparently on the ground in Yemen, actively supervising and coordinating Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Sources claim that since the conflict in Gaza, Iran has increased the amount of weaponry it has provided to the Houthi rebels, including medium-range missiles, precision-strike ballistic missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and advanced drones.

The Houthi attacks are believed to have been planned with help from IRGC commanders and advisors. They were started in November as an act of support for the Palestinian people in Gaza. These Iranian organisations shape the Houthi targeting strategy by providing vital information, data, and intelligence support to identify vessels headed for Israel. American and British airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen were prompted by the attacks on commercial activity in the Red Sea.

Although the Houthis claim that they are operating independently to support Hamas, local analysts contend that the group is not equipped to carry out such targeted strikes on its own. Members of Hezbollah and the IRGC oversee military activities, provide training, and assemble missiles that are transported into Yemen.

This pattern is consistent with Iran’s larger regional aim of projecting power through its network of Shi’ites. Iran’s ability to pose a danger to regional marine security through the Houthi attacks has sparked worries about the potential effects of the Gaza conflict expanding beyond.

Evidence points to Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in advising and directing the Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, despite denials by Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam. The situation combines the current war in Gaza, border conflicts with Lebanon, and strikes on American targets in Iraq and Syria into a new and complex web of combat.

Reference: Reuters, Times Of Israel

IRGC & Hezbollah Commanders Help In Directing Houthi Ship Attacks In Red Sea appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News