Aden (South24 Center)

An Associated Press investigation published Tuesday (October 27) revealed evidence suggesting that Russian reconnaissance satellites helped the Iran-backed Houthi militia and Iraqi armed factions identify targets for missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and South Yemen, including military facilities in Aden and Shabwa.

The investigation drew on satellite tracking data and accounts from Saudi and Houthi officials and intelligence analysts, pointing to the role of Iranian advisers in passing satellite-derived intelligence to Tehran-aligned groups for use in targeting military and oil facilities.

Geneva-based AURORAH Geosignal Intelligence analyzed 40 missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia between July 1 and October 19, detecting activity by Russian government and military reconnaissance satellites over the targeted areas before and after all the strikes.

The company's founder, Nawaf Obaid, said the analysis showed a 100% correlation between Russian satellite activity and the attacks examined, including increased reconnaissance activity ahead of strikes targeting Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline and King Fahd Air Base in Taif, where an Italian Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet was damaged.

However, Obaid acknowledged that the company had not intercepted communications proving the direct transfer of intelligence to Iran or the armed groups, meaning the findings demonstrated a recurring pattern of reconnaissance activity without providing conclusive independent evidence of intelligence-sharing.

AP quoted a Saudi official familiar with the investigations as saying that the Houthis and Iraqi factions had benefited from Russian intelligence. Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Rayed Krimly also said Iran and the Houthis obtained intelligence from sources in Russia and China, including commercial entities.

In South Yemen, AURORAH detected similar patterns of Russian satellite activity associated with a Houthi attack on October 15 targeting the presidential palace in Aden and a nearby command center used by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as an attack on a recruitment training facility in Shabwa.

The October 19 attack on the Ahmed Mohsen Al-Sulaimani Training Center at Al-Alam Camp in Shabwa killed dozens of recruits. Local authorities reported 73 deaths and 14 missing persons on October 20, while subsequent information obtained by South24 Center put the death toll at 79.

AP also quoted a senior Houthi leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that Iranian advisers in Yemen supplied the group with intelligence derived from Russian spy satellites to help identify targets. The official added that Iran had provided the Houthis with advanced drone guidance systems and equipment designed to help missiles evade air defenses, some of which originated from Russia and China or had been commercially purchased.

According to AP, Russian officials had not immediately commented on the allegations. The investigation comes amid escalating Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and repeated strikes targeting military and security facilities in Aden and other Southern governorates.