Russian military intelligence officers are believed to have been deployed to Yemen to assist the Iran-backed Houthis with targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, Middle East Eye can reveal.
Members of Russia’s GRU military intelligence are operating in the Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen in an advisory role, a senior US official told MEE, speaking on condition of anonymity and citing US intelligence.
The sensitive deployment comes as Russia has been eyeing ways to step up its support for the Iran-backed Houthis.
Given the Saudis' concerns, this would be a middle ground as Putin holds off on arming the Houthis.”.
The US intelligence shared with MEE did not reveal where the Russian advisors are operating.
Putin’s decision to dispatch GRU officials on the ground in Yemen could be motivated by a desire to better organise the Houthis' intelligence capabilities.
“It makes sense Putin would want people on the ground to see how the Houthis are targeting and make sure Russian vessels aren’t hit,” Ramani said. »
