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Iranian and Hizbullah Commanders Help Direct Houthi Attacks in Yemen
(Reuters) Samia Nakhoul - Commanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Hizbullah are on the ground in Yemen helping to direct and oversee Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, four regional and two Iranian sources told Reuters. Iran - which has armed, trained and funded the Houthis - stepped up its weapons supplies to the militia in the wake of the war in Gaza. Tehran has provided advanced drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, precision-strike ballistic missiles and medium-range missiles to the Houthis. IRGC commanders and advisers are also providing know-how, data and intelligence support to determine which vessels constitute Houthi targets. An Iranian insider said Iranian commanders had set up a command center in the capital Sanaa for the Red Sea attacks, run by the senior IRGC commander responsible for Yemen. "The Houthis are not acting independently," said Abdulaziz al-Sager, director of the Gulf Research Center think-tank. "The Houthis...are not that advanced....The Houthis don't have the means, resources, knowledge or satellite information to find the specific target and attack." White House national security spokeswoman Adrienne Watson also said that Iranian-provided tactical intelligence had been critical in enabling the Houthis to target ships.