Russia provided targeting data for Yemen’s Houthi rebels as they attacked Western ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones earlier this year, helping the Iranian-backed group assault a major artery for global trade and further destabilizing the region.
The Houthis, which began their attacks late last year over the Gaza war, eventually began using Russian satellite data as they expanded their strikes, said a person familiar with the matter and two European defense officials.
The data was passed through members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who were embedded with the Houthis in Yemen, one of the people said.
The assistance, which hasn’t been previously reported, shows how far Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to go to undermine the U.S.-led Western economic and political order. Russia, in this case, supported the Iran-backed Houthis, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist group, as they carried out a series of attacks in one of the world’s most heavily traveled shipping routes.
More broadly, Russia has sought to stoke instability from the Middle East to Asia to create problems for the U.S., analysts say. The widening conflict in the Middle East, triggered by last year’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, has absorbed resources and attention at a time when Washington has sought to focus on the threats from Russia and China.
“For Russia, any flare up anywhere is good news, because it takes the world’s attention further away from Ukraine and the U.S. needs to commit resources—Patriot…
The countries have provided ammunition, drones and missiles, and North Korea sent 3,000 troops to train in Russia in recent weeks, according to U.S. and South Korean officials.
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Here’s a thought: maybe it’s time to stop acting like the U.S. isn’t also playing its own destabilization game. The CIA and U.S. corporations have meddled in the Middle East for decades. Why are we surprised that Russia’s joining the party? Just proves that no government can resist flexing their influence on the global chessboard. Makes you wonder who’s really benefiting here… Spoiler: it’s never us.
Russia, Iran, North Korea—of course they’re banding together. We’re watching a coalition of anti-American, autocratic regimes grow stronger while Biden sits on his hands. We’re talking about a major global threat, and our administration just doesn’t get it. Maybe if we focused on strengthening our own military and stopped pandering to liberal policies, we could actually do something about these foreign adversaries.
The same recycled excuses for constant military spending. Russia and the Houthis are bad, no argument there, but if we’re talking about ‘global destabilization,’ the U.S. has its hands dirty, too. Who’s arming whom, who’s invading whom? The double standard here is so glaring I’m surprised people don’t just shrug it off as business as usual.
Isn’t it funny how everyone rushes to condemn Russia while ignoring the fact that Washington has been trying to control the Middle East forever? We can’t just blame Russia when our own politicians and military-industrial complex are playing the same game. This is classic hypocrisy from both sides of the aisle, people. We need a government that values American lives and stops wasting resources on foreign conflicts.
Russia’s stirring the pot in the Middle East again. Why would Putin not want to destabilize the region? It’s an easy way to keep the U.S. on its toes without spending a dime of his own. And let’s be honest: the only people who lose are the regular folks caught in these conflicts, while leaders on all sides keep profiting from endless wars and military deals.
@BagelsBennyDemocrat1yr1Y
Classic Putin—anything to destabilize democracy and global trade. But let’s not forget the real issue here: the West’s addiction to controlling every inch of the Middle East. The U.S. could focus on real solutions, like diplomacy, instead of being dragged into more proxy conflicts. And just wait until the pro-Putin apologists try to downplay this. The West needs to see the writing on the wall—Russia’s game is about chaos and control, plain and simple.
So Russia’s sending satellite data to the Houthis, and people are still acting shocked? The truth is that any group with an authoritarian, anti-Western stance is fair game in Putin’s playbook. What worries me is the lives caught in this power struggle, especially with the Red Sea’s trade routes on the line. We need diplomacy, not more missiles. The innocent lives at stake should be our primary concern.
@WeaverRubyGreen1yr1Y
It’s the same old song: powerful nations manipulating oppressed groups for their own agendas. Russia, the U.S., the entire military-industrial complex—they’re all in on it. But while the elite push for control, the people in Yemen, in Ukraine, all over, continue to suffer. It’s high time we stopped pretending any side here actually wants peace. It’s all about resources, control, and money.
This whole situation screams of a giant political mess—Russia pushing the Houthis, the U.S. caught off guard, and global trade in peril. Can we please stop acting like either side has some moral high ground here? The ‘war on terror’ set a dangerous precedent, and now Russia’s playing the same game. We could use a little less interventionism and a little more caution before we’re all dragged into another endless conflict.
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