Iran giving Yemen's Houthis target intelligence for drone, missile strikes on Saudi Arabia - report

The Wall Street Journal reports that many Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia are based on targeting intelligence provided by Iran. A former Israeli intelligence official described the operational link as very strong, while Iran denies involvement. The report follows deadly Houthi strikes on a Saudi presidential palace and Riyadh's airport.

The Wall Street Journal reports that many recent drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on Saudi Arabia are based on targeting intelligence provided by Iran. The report cites a former Israeli official, Danny Citrinowicz, who described the intelligence connection as 'very, very strong on the operational level.' Citrinowicz, who previously headed the Iran branch for Israeli defense intelligence, said Iran has a major interest in the Houthis' success because it harms Saudi Arabia and raises oil prices, framing the relationship as strategic cooperation rather than a client-patron dynamic. The report comes as the Houthis have intensified attacks, striking Saudi Arabia's presidential palace complex on Thursday, killing five, and striking Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, killing 17 and injuring over 300. The Soufan Center, a New York-based security think tank, told the WSJ the strikes are 'helping Iran project power.' Iranian officials deny involvement, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying in September that the Houthis are 'entirely independent actors.' However, members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have commended the recent strikes. Adam Baron, a Yemen expert with New America, told the WSJ that the Houthis' recent military gains were 'undeniably' based on external Iranian assistance.