A USNI News report dating back to October 2020 suggests the Saviz ship, registered as a merchant ship and a suspected covert Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forward base, is stationed in a strategic position on the coast of Yemen. Automated Information System transmissions and analysis of commercial satellite images show the ship has barely moved in the past three years. The ship is lies adjacent to the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, forming a natural choking point. While the Houthis are fighting a civil war against Saudi and United Arab Emirates-backed forces, the Saviz is in a position to play a role in some of the attacks which took place, feeding intelligence to Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen, Saudi’s have said. The Tasnim News Agency confirmed tonight the ship was hit by An alleged limpet mine while the Al Hadath Lebanon news channel claimed the mines were placed by Israeli commando unit troops.
