Michael R. Gordon and Lara Seligman
WSJ, July 19, 2024
“A decision by Moscow to arm the Houthis would mark an escalation in its confrontation with Washington, which has been playing out mostly over the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow has already sparked deep concern among U.S. officials by solidifying ties with North Korea and Iran and securing China’s help in strengthening the Russian defense industry.”
U.S. intelligence agencies are warning that Russia might arm Houthi militants in Yemen with advanced antiship missiles in retaliation for the Biden administration’s support for Ukrainian strikes inside Russia with U.S. weapons. The new intelligence comes as the top U.S. Middle East commander recently advised in a classified letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that military operations in the region are “failing” to deter Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and that a broader approach is needed, according to U.S. officials.
The White House has launched a confidential push to try to stop Moscow from delivering the missiles to the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea for eight months in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthi threat was highlighted early Friday local time when an armed drone that the Israeli military said was launched from Yemen struck Tel Aviv, the militant group’s first successful targeting of the city since the beginning of the Gaza war. One person was killed and several people were injured by the blast, which hit an apartment near a U.S. diplomatic building, authorities said.
The administration’s diplomatic effort to head off Moscow’s transfer of missiles to Yemen involves using a third country to try to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin not to join Iran in providing weapons to the Houthis, according to U.S. officials, who declined to identify the country.
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