Russia supplied data to Yemen’s Houthi rebels to help them attack Western ships in the Red Sea, a Wall Street Journal article published Thursday claimed.

According to the US newspaper, the Houthis were able to use data from Russian satellites passed to them by Iranian proxies to target ships with ballistic missiles and drones.

The Houthis, who control most of northern Yemen, have since November 2023 carried out attacks against Israel and against ships they say are linked to it or their allies, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, involved at war with the Israeli armed forces in the Gaza Strip from October 7, 2023.

Their attacks have caused major disruption to shipping in this vital zone for world trade and led the US to form an international naval coalition and since January to begin targeting rebel facilities and weapons in Yemen, in some cases together with Britain. Since then, the Houthis say they are also targeting US and British ships.

The WSJ says its information about the Russian aid comes from “a person familiar with the matter” and “two European defense officials.”