"Naval blockade" in Red and Suez: Russia sends a large load of anti-ship hypersonic missiles to Hezbollah, Houthi and H. Haftar!
There will be major attacks against ships
In practice, the Houthis have managed with continuous attacks to impose a partial naval blockade as many ships do not use the Suez Canal but prefer to cross the African border as the maps at the end of the text show.
The Russian shipment of anti-ship missiles for the Houthis
An Israeli invasion of South Lebanon and a full-scale war with Hezbollah could potentially involve not only Iran, but also Russia, US intelligence officials say.
Fears of what current and former US officials have described as "secondary" and "tertiary" effects of an Israeli ground attack on Hezbollah are fueled by reports that Russia is considering stepping up support for the so-called "Axis of Resistance" ".
Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering providing the Houthi rebels with anti-ship cruise missiles, a senior US official told MEE, citing information and speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive report.
"If Israel were to attack inside Lebanon, it would likely further deepen the military relationship that Iran has with Russia to help Hezbollah defend itself ," William Usher, a former CIA senior Middle East analyst, told MEE.
"Russia could have already decided how to help the Houthis."
The mediation of Saudi Arabia
Russia in late 2023 was reportedly preparing to provide anti-ship cruise missiles, possibly a variant of the Kh-31 missiles, to the Houthis in Yemen. At the last minute, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intervened by speaking personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin, so the mission did not take place.
Arming the Houthis, however, is potentially more sensitive than providing aid to Hezbollah because of Russia's efforts to offend the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Putin promised Mohammed bin Salman who asked them [Russia] not to complete the deal ," the senior US official told MEE.
The discussions took place after Putin visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in December, according to US intelligence agencies. At the December meeting, Reuters reported that Putin and Mohammed bin Salman agreed to "de-escalate tensions" in the region.
Any Russian attempt to deliver weapons to a member of Iran's so-called resistance axis fighting against the US and its allies would be a coup.
Fabian Hinz, an expert on ballistic and cruise missiles at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that between the Houthis and Russia, supply and demand match.
The Houthis generally rely on drones and ballistic missiles to attack ships. Their cruise missile arsenal contains models based on Iranian production. The two main models are Quds missiles and al-Mandeb 2 missiles.
Cruise missiles are generally slower than ballistic missiles, but fly lower, making them harder to detect while being more accurate because they can be guided throughout their flight. They are suitable for attacking specific targets such as ships.
Russian hypersonic missiles for the Houthis
"If I were the Houthis, hypersonic cruise missiles would be very high on my shopping list," Hinz said. "And the Russians have very good supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles."
Hinz said Russia could supply the Kh-31 hypersonic anti-ship missile, which is air-launched but can be adapted to a ground platform and has been widely exported, including to Venezuela and Yemen before the civil war.
This changes everything about what kind of missile the Houthis launched yesterday. He also confirms that the strike in the Eastern Mediterranean was not accidental but is part of a wider strategy.
"There is a connection between Russia's war in Ukraine and the Red Sea ," General Frank Mckenzie, retired US Central Command commander, told MEE.
"Putin holds the US responsible for Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea. He is likely to think he can retaliate in the Red Sea."
If this is true, then the Americans have realized that Russia now wants to hit Western ships and sink them. So equipping Hezbollah, Houthi and Haftar anti-ships in Libya is the only way to hit the Eastern Mediterranean as well.
Earlier information indicated that Hezbollah already has several anti-ship missiles of Iranian, Chinese and Russian origin such as the P-800 Yakhont.
Weapons shipment to H. Haftar in Libya
In addition to the Houthis, Moscow seems willing to arm General H. Haftar's forces in Libya.
Earlier this week, with the help of US intelligence services, Italian authorities intercepted a cargo ship with a large cargo of weapons.
It is suspected that it was a delivery of weapons from Russia to General Khalifa Haftar, who is based in eastern Libya.
This has worried the West as US experts believe that Russia has started arming Haftar in exchange for permission to build a naval base on the Mediterranean coast, which would give it a military base closer to Europe, and more specifically, close to Italy and Greece.
"Naval blockade" in Red and Suez: Russia sends a large load of anti-ship hypersonic missiles to Hezbollah, Houthi and H. Haftar!
There will be major attacks against ships
A big thriller is unfolding in Libya and especially in the Middle East. US Defense and Intelligence officials are concerned that Russia will send a large shipment of anti-ship hypersonic cruise missiles to the Houthis – perhaps already has – to enforce a naval blockade of the Eritrean region.
In practice, the Houthis have managed with continuous attacks to impose a partial naval blockade as many ships do not use the Suez Canal but prefer to cross the African border as the maps at the end of the text show.
The Russian shipment of anti-ship missiles for the Houthis
An Israeli invasion of South Lebanon and a full-scale war with Hezbollah could potentially involve not only Iran, but also Russia, US intelligence officials say.
Fears of what current and former US officials have described as "secondary" and "tertiary" effects of an Israeli ground attack on Hezbollah are fueled by reports that Russia is considering stepping up support for the so-called "Axis of Resistance" ".
Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering providing the Houthi rebels with anti-ship cruise missiles, a senior US official told MEE, citing information and speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive report.
"If Israel were to attack inside Lebanon, it would likely further deepen the military relationship that Iran has with Russia to help Hezbollah defend itself ," William Usher, a former CIA senior Middle East analyst, told MEE.
"Russia could have already decided how to help the Houthis."
The mediation of Saudi Arabia
Russia in late 2023 was reportedly preparing to provide anti-ship cruise missiles, possibly a variant of the Kh-31 missiles, to the Houthis in Yemen. At the last minute, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intervened by speaking personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin, so the mission did not take place.
Arming the Houthis, however, is potentially more sensitive than providing aid to Hezbollah because of Russia's efforts to offend the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Putin promised Mohammed bin Salman who asked them [Russia] not to complete the deal ," the senior US official told MEE.
The discussions took place after Putin visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in December, according to US intelligence agencies. At the December meeting, Reuters reported that Putin and Mohammed bin Salman agreed to "de-escalate tensions" in the region.
Any Russian attempt to deliver weapons to a member of Iran's so-called resistance axis fighting against the US and its allies would be a coup.
Fabian Hinz, an expert on ballistic and cruise missiles at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that between the Houthis and Russia, supply and demand match.
The Houthis generally rely on drones and ballistic missiles to attack ships. Their cruise missile arsenal contains models based on Iranian production. The two main models are Quds missiles and al-Mandeb 2 missiles.
Cruise missiles are generally slower than ballistic missiles, but fly lower, making them harder to detect while being more accurate because they can be guided throughout their flight. They are suitable for attacking specific targets such as ships.
Russian hypersonic missiles for the Houthis
"If I were the Houthis, hypersonic cruise missiles would be very high on my shopping list," Hinz said. "And the Russians have very good supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles."
Hinz said Russia could supply the Kh-31 hypersonic anti-ship missile, which is air-launched but can be adapted to a ground platform and has been widely exported, including to Venezuela and Yemen before the civil war.
This changes everything about what kind of missile the Houthis launched yesterday. He also confirms that the strike in the Eastern Mediterranean was not accidental but is part of a wider strategy.
"There is a connection between Russia's war in Ukraine and the Red Sea ," General Frank Mckenzie, retired US Central Command commander, told MEE.
"Putin holds the US responsible for Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea. He is likely to think he can retaliate in the Red Sea."
If this is true, then the Americans have realized that Russia now wants to hit Western ships and sink them. So equipping Hezbollah, Houthi and Haftar anti-ships in Libya is the only way to hit the Eastern Mediterranean as well.
Earlier information indicated that Hezbollah already has several anti-ship missiles of Iranian, Chinese and Russian origin such as the P-800 Yakhont.
Weapons shipment to H. Haftar in Libya
In addition to the Houthis, Moscow seems willing to arm General H. Haftar's forces in Libya.
Earlier this week, with the help of US intelligence services, Italian authorities intercepted a cargo ship with a large cargo of weapons.
It is suspected that it was a delivery of weapons from Russia to General Khalifa Haftar, who is based in eastern Libya.
This has worried the West as US experts believe that Russia has started arming Haftar in exchange for permission to build a naval base on the Mediterranean coast, which would give it a military base closer to Europe, and more specifically, close to Italy and Greece.