Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, the Iran-backed Houthis have carried out several attacks in the Red Sea, claiming to target ships with Israeli links in solidarity with the Palestinians.
After repeatedly warning of repercussions if the attacks continued, US and British forces struck 60 targets in Houthi locations at 16 a.m. Friday in what they said was an effort to prevent further disruption of the main shipping lane.
The Houthis have been steadily building up their military capabilities since capturing Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
According to defense experts, the arsenal of weapons manufactured with Iranian equipment or components includes ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.
– Ballistic missiles — which include ballistic missiles the Houthis call Typhoon — a rebranded version of Iran’s Qatar missile with a range of 1,600 to 1,900 kilometers (995 to 1,180 miles), according to Fabian Hinz of International Strategic Studies. It’s very false, at least in the version they showed us, but it can reach Israel,” Hinz told AFP.
Iran tested its Qatar missiles in 2016, hitting targets about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) away.
Mohammed Albasha, a senior Middle East analyst at the US-based Navanti Group, said the Houthis unveiled their Typhoon missile arsenal just weeks before Palestinian militant group Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.
The rebels, who control much of northern Yemen, also have Iran’s Quds missile, Hinz said.
There are different versions of Quds, some of which are about 1,650 kilometers away – enough to reach Israel, he said.
In 2022, the Houthis said they used Quds 2 cruise missiles to attack oil plants in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The manned, guided missiles traveled more than 1,126 kilometers from northern Yemen.
The Houthis also used Quds 2 missiles in 2020 to attack facilities in Saudi Arabia.
– Drones –
Saudi Arabia and the United States have repeatedly accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with drones, missiles and other weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
The Houthis say they manufacture their drones domestically, although analysts say they contain smuggled Iranian components.
Their arsenal also includes the Iranian Shahed-136 drones used by Russia in its war on Ukraine, Hinz says.
Hinz said they will travel about 2,000 kilometers.
Another drone model, the Samad-3, is also available to them, Hinz said.
„We don’t know the exact range, but it should be around 1,600 kilometers,” he said.
The Houthis have used Samad-3 drones in attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Rebel media sources and analysts say the Samad-3 can be loaded with 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of explosives.
The Houthis’ drones use GPS guidance and „fly autonomously along pre-planned waypoints” toward their targets, experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a 2020 report.