Russia provides satellite data to Houthis to attack ships in Red Sea: report

Russia has supported the Houthis' attacks on western Red Sea shipping lanes by providing targeting data.

As the Houthis intensify their attacks on U.S. and other foreign postures in the region after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Russia has escalated its attacks, taking out a multimillion-dollar U.S.-made drone and destroying it in transit. It provided satellite data that could be used to attack ships. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, 12% of world trade passes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Each munitions used to intercept a Houthi attack costs the United States anywhere from $1 million to more than $4 million.

The data was passed through the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

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In response to the report, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Fox News Digital, “The focus is on the US/UK providing satellite data to the (Kiev) regime in order to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians.'' I'm guessing,” he said.

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The United States has sought to avoid direct involvement in the war by withholding long-range capabilities of American weapons from Ukraine, but has provided sensitive information to the Kiev war effort.

The news comes at a time when North Korea is sending at least 3,000 troops to fight alongside Russia as conflicts in both the Middle East and Ukraine expand global involvement.

The United States has long been involved in diplomatic efforts to stop Russia from supplying weapons to the Houthis, which the U.S. government reclassified as a terrorist organization in January.

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The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza and Lebanon.

In addition to destroying goods destined for the West, regular Houthi attacks have caused insurance premiums to soar, with some premiums increasing tenfold. Some ships will also be forced to make long journeys around the Horn of Africa, potentially adding up to $1 million in round-trip fuel costs.

Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have targeted more than 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones, seizing one, sinking two, and killing four sailors. Oil tanker traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which separates the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean, nearly halved from October 2023 to August this year, according to maritime information firm Windward.

On January 12, a missile was fired from a warship during a US-led coalition operation against military targets in Yemen, and from an undisclosed location towards Iranian-backed Houthi militias targeting international shipping in the Red Sea. was fired. (U.S. Central Command via X/Handout/File Photo via Reuters)

Houthi followers burn Israeli and American flags during a tribal rally on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, on January 14. (Mohamed Hammoud/Getty Images)

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Rebels shot down one U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, worth $30 million each, in October and two in September.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has strengthened ties with Iran in recent months, despite Israel's historic friendship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Putin criticized the United States and Israel over the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the region was at risk of all-out war.

The United States has urged Russia not to provide the Houthis with anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles that could threaten the U.S. military posture in the region.

Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who the United States traded for WNBA player Brittney Greiner in a prisoner swap, is trying to broker a $10 million small arms deal with the Houthis, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is not clear whether the deal was sanctioned by the Kremlin.

Tankers carrying Russian oil have been targeted by the Houthis, who operate them through shell companies aimed at concealing their Russian origins and circumventing Western oil sanctions.