The Kremlin bowed to pressure from the US and Saudi Arabia

Russia was preparing to deliver missiles and other military equipment to Houthi rebels in Yemen late last month but withdrew at the last minute due to pressure from the United States and Saudi Arabia to stop it, CNN reported, citing its own sources.

The Saudis were locked in a brutal war with the Houthis for years before the U.S. helped them negotiate a truce in 2022. When they learned of the plans Russiawarned the country against arming one of its biggest adversaries.

The United States, which is taking part in diplomatic efforts to prevent the Russians from arming Iran-backed rebels, has separately asked the Saudis for help in persuading Moscow to abandon its plans.

READ: Reuters: Iran is expanding ballistic missile factories to arm Russia, Houthis and Hezbollah

“The United States designated the Houthis as a global terrorist organization in January this year, following missile and drone attacks by the rebels. on merchant ships in the Red Sea. American sanctions and US attacks on Houthi weapons infrastructure have had little effect: the rebels continue to attack commercial vessels in the vital waterway,” CNN said.

The Houthis began shelling ships passing through the Red Sea after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip last fall, declaring that “the attacks are an act of solidarity with Palestinian Hamas and their target is Israel and its trade.”

According to the interlocutors of the American television station, for the Russians the arming of the Houthis was to be “retaliation against the administration of President Joe Biden for the decision allowing Ukrainian forces to carry out attacks on Russian territory using US-supplied weapons“.

Russia stopped supplying weapons to the rebels, but sent them to Yemen in late July, a group of soldiers. Their number is unknown. The military personnel were supposed to advise the Houthis for three days.

A report by the US Institute for the Study of War on Saturday said that Russia's plans to rearm Houthi rebelsshow its growing military partnership with Iran. “The Kremlin also wants to force the West to stop supporting Ukraine in this way,” ISW experts said.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to consider supporting the Houthis in attacks on Israel and international shipping is part of deepening Russian-Iranian military cooperation and Russia's growing reliance on Iran for precision weapons and components,” the Institute for the Study of War said.