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Houthis use open sources and maritime intelligence sites to find ships to attack
SANA: Western defense officials and maritime experts have suggested that the Houthis are using open sources and maritime intelligence sites to gather information to attack ships in the Red Sea.
Officials say that through this, the Houthis will get information about which ship is coming and which route, and this information will help them to attack the ships of the United States and its allies.
“The Houthis have demonstrated how much maritime data can be accessed with a computer, an Internet connection and perhaps a VPN,” Cory Ranslem, chief executive of maritime risk advisory and security company Dryas Global, told Middle East Eye.
The ships share their location with the Houthis via satellite transponders known as Automatic Identification System, or AIS. Apart from this, an AIS signal can also be used to locate a ship’s position and course.
This type of AIS data can be obtained through sites such as Marine Traffic. This type of data can be obtained not only through these types of sites but also with antennas and home receivers,’ Ranslem said.
Ships sailing through the Red Sea are communicating directly with the Houthis via AIS. They also use the system to inform the Houthis that they are traveling with Chinese and Turkish crews to prevent them from attacking them. Some ships also inform the Houthis that they have no ties to Israel to avoid being targeted.
When the Swan Atlantic chemical tanker was attacked by the Houthis late last year, Kaplan’s owner accused Marine Traffic of falsely stating that the vessel was managed by a company linked to Israel.
Following Israel’s occupation of Gaza, the Houthis attacked US, UK and Israeli merchant ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have said they will allow ships from all countries except Israel to pass safely through the Red Sea. They also said that Russia and China are not among the countries they are targeting. The Houthis have announced that they will attack Israel and its allies.
The Houthis have been carrying out drone and missile attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. The Houthis have said they will continue to target all ships linked to Israel until the Israeli blockade of Gaza is lifted and the offensive ends.
Content highlight: Western defense officials and maritime experts have suggested that the Houthis are using open-source and maritime intelligence sites to gather information to attack ships in the Red Sea.