US officials said that Russia is considering expanding its support for the Houthis and supplying them with missiles if the West escalates the war in Ukraine.

The New York Times quoted officials as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to increase pressure on the West through groups such as the Houthis and secret attacks planned by his intelligence agencies.

The officials indicated that Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout had been negotiating with the Houthis to sell them advanced missiles, although the deal had not yet been completed.

Russian Viktor Bout, one of the most famous arms dealers in the world, returned to the spotlight again after his release as part of a prisoner exchange deal with the United States.

It appears that Bout, who spent years in American prisons on charges of arms smuggling and conspiring to kill Americans, has returned to his controversial business activity.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Bout was brokering a deal to supply weapons to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, raising widespread concern among the international community.9

A Houthi delegation reportedly traveled to Moscow in August 2024 to negotiate an arms deal with Bout worth $10 million.

According to European security sources, the potential deal includes two shipments of “AK-74” assault rifles, which is the developed version of the “AK-47” rifle, which is a popular weapon in many armed conflicts around the world.

Although the initial deal concerned light weapons, the negotiations expanded to include discussing more advanced weapons, as the Houthis expressed interest in purchasing “Kornet” anti-tank missiles, as well as anti-aircraft weapons, which may pose a greater threat to regional and international forces. Especially since the Houthis have already launched several attacks using drones and missiles against targets in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.