BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:00 P.M.) – Iran has allegedly deployed kamikaze drones in Yemen amid fears of a conflict with the United States and their allies in the Persian Gulf region, Newsweek reported this week.
The Newsweek article cited imagery they obtained and information from an expert who “follows Iranian activities in the region” about the deployment of the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to the northern region of Yemen.
“The Iranians have delivered to their Houthi proxies in Yemen advanced UAVs,” the expert, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Newsweek. “They are forward deploying or prepositioning these drones in order to stage an attack against a variety of targets they have within range.”
“What they’re trying to achieve is plausible deniability,” the expert said, “as in being able to strike either a U.S., Saudi, Gulf, or Israeli target and then having the strike traced back to Yemen, and hoping for deniably against any kind of retribution.”
Iran is a major ally of the Ansarallah Movement (Houthi forces) in Yemen and they have been accused of providing the aforementioned group with weapons, including drones and missiles.
The Ansarallah Movement has also joined Iran in warning the United States and Israel about launching any attacks in the region, while also accusing both countries of playing a role in the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
