Iran is helping the Houthi rebels in Yemen target U.S. Reaper drones, which has enabled the Houthis to shoot down or damage several of the massive, unmanned aircraft, say two U.S. officials.
The interference severely inhibits the U.S. ability to gather intelligence and increases the chance that the drones could drift into unfriendly airspace.
The U.S. military has struggled to stop some Houthi air defense systems because rather than radars, the Houthis often use electro-optical systems to find targets.
Iran sent a spy ship to the waters near Yemen to help the Houthis target ships in the Red Sea.
It appears the U.S. plan to interdict shipments of Iranian weapons and destroy stockpiles of weapons and drones has failed to roll back Houthi attacks on cargo ships, Knights said.
Persons:
Michael Knights, ”, Knights, “
Organizations:
U.S, Pentagon, NBC, Defense Intelligence Agency, White House National Security Council, Washington Institute for Near, Policy, NBC News, ” Knights, U.S . Navy, “
Locations:
Iran, Yemen, Tehran, Israel, U.S, Eastern Europe, Syria, Red