An American newspaper revealed that Russia evacuated a commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard from Yemen to Iran.

The Wall Street Journal quoted a Western security source as saying that last April, a Russian warship evacuated “Abdulreza Shahlai,” the official responsible for the Iranian missile and missile program, from the port of Hodeidah.

It is noteworthy that Shahlai is accused of directing a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington and a separate attack that would have killed two hundred civilians on American soil.

Earlier, the US special envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, confirmed that his country is studying with its partners in the region how to respond to the Houthis’ contacts with Russia and with the Al-Shabaab movement in Somalia, which is ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Lenderking as saying that one of the unfortunate repercussions of the conflict in Gaza is that the Houthis have increased their contacts with other malicious actors in the region and beyond, describing this as a very disturbing trend.

He pointed out that Russia is using Yemen as a means of taking revenge on the United States, noting that the Houthis’ relationship with the Somali Al-Shabaab movement has become very strong as both parties are looking for ways to increase the risks and threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

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.