Bloomberg: US concerns grow over Russia supplying Houthis with missiles

The United States is concerned that Russia may supply missiles to Yemen's Houthi rebels, a move that could further destabilize the Middle East by bolstering one of the militant groups fighting Israel, a U.S. official said.

“It’s something that concerns us,” Tim Lenderking, the U.S. special envoy to Yemen, said in a phone interview with Bloomberg when asked about a report that Russia was in talks to deliver advanced Yakhont anti-ship missiles to the Houthis.

"Any cooperation in the arms sector between the Houthis and the Russians would be extremely destabilizing," he added.

The Houthis, a network of Iranian-backed armed groups, began targeting shipping in the Red Sea in late 2023.

The group has shown no sign of abating even after the United States and its allies launched airstrikes to deter them, sinking a ship with a naval drone for the first time in June.

An increasing number of shipping companies have preferred to send ships on longer routes to bypass the area, and insurance costs have risen.

Israeli fighter jets bombed a seaport and several power stations in Yemen on Sunday following a series of attacks on central Israel by the Houthis.

Reuters reported last week, citing regional officials, that Russian and Houthi representatives have held at least two meetings in Tehran this year and more talks are planned.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could provide long-range weapons to those looking to strike Western targets if the United States and its allies allow Ukraine to fire deep into Russian territory.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is calling on his supporters to allow the military to lift restrictions on the use of weapons they supply, although he has not yet been given the green light.

Putin stepped up his threats last week, saying Moscow would review its nuclear doctrine to include responding to "aggression" by non-nuclear states backed by other nuclear powers.

The Yakhov P-800 is a supersonic anti-ship missile with a range of 300 kilometres (186 miles).

Access to the weapon would significantly enhance the Houthis’ ability to threaten US and allied warships patrolling the region, while enabling the group to fire on land targets in Saudi Arabia, said Fabian Hinz, an expert at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

In July, Russia suspended plans to supply the Houthis with missiles and other military equipment after Saudi Arabia convinced the Kremlin not to go ahead, CNN reported.

According to the US envoy, the Houthis’ challenge to pursue shipping attacks in the Red Sea undermines efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement in Yemen. “This is not consistent with us being partners in peace,” he said.