Soldiers From Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Among Crewmen Killed in U.S. Attack on Houthi Boats Off Yemen

Intelligence sources revealed to Sheba Intelligence that four members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed, among other Yemenis, in a U.S. Navy attack on Houthi boats that attacked the Maersk container vessel on December 31.

At the time, A statement by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said three Houthi boats, boarding ten fighters, were attacked by U.S.forces in the Red Sea. He said, "The attack took place as Houthi naval forces were carrying out their routine duties to establish security, stability, and protect maritime navigation."

However, the intelligence sources say the number of those who were killed by the U.S. airstrikes is17, not 10. 
 

After the U.S. killing of the Houthi fighters in the Red Sea, the group is planning to launch attacks on targets inside and outside Yemen as the group feels that the loss of its soldiers has demoralized its forces, according to the sources. 

The Houthi group is worried that the American forces might recover the bodies of the deadfighters from the sea and identify the dead ones who belong to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. This would harm the reputation it built during its operations in the Red Sea as the only Arab force fighting Israel, the sources said. 

At the internal level, sources indicated that the group is planning to attack coastal areas that are under the control of Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council.

The sources said, "There is an intensive transfer of fighters from the Houthi-controlled Sixth Military Region, which is headquartered in Amran, to Hodeidah, and there are training and maneuvers in preparation for attacking Mocha and Bab el-Mandab."

The sources indicated that the fighters who were trained in camps in Al-Bayda and Al-Jawf and were transferred to the Al-Jawba camps south of Marib to attack the Safer oil facility are being transported openly on buses to Al-Hudaydah, without following previous transportation tactics that used military vehicles and small buses in the night.

According to the sources, the group postponed the battle of Marib under the pretext that the group wanted to calm down all frontlines and focus on the war alone because the resistance there will be fierce and will impact the areas which the Houthi group, especially Sanaa, controls.

Regarding the Houthi potential attacks on foreign targets, the source said the attacks will target Emirati military facilities and bases inside and outside the Emirates, and it may first attack Mocha and Bab al-Mandab, where Emirati forces are stationed, especially Mayun Island.

Over the past few weeks, the group intensified its military operations in the Red Sea, and it has launched 24 attacks on the shipping lanes. Today, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement two anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired Tuesday from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea.

The statement added, "Multiple commercial ships in the area reported the impact of the ASBMs (anti-ship ballistic missiles) into the surrounding water, though none have reported any damage."

The Iran-backed Yemeni group says the U.S. opened the door to hell for itself after it killed the Houthi fighters in the Red Sea. Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthi forces would attack the U.S. ships that killed their fighters and would keep banning ships traveling to Israel from crossing the Red Sea. 

As the group is adamant about continuing its attacks, a British government source said Sunday the United Kingdom will partake in the US-led military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen to prevent the attacks against the shipping lanes in the Red Sea. 

The strikes against the Houthis will be "limited" but "significant," according to the source, and the attack could be implemented using RAF warplanes or HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, according to the British government source.