AGI – Yemen’s Houthi rebels, an Iran-backed militia that seized control of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014, have launched a series of drone and rocket attacks against Israel in the war against Hamas, although most failed to reach their targets. Here are some key facts about the group’s military capabilities.
Ballistic missiles
To attack the southernmost tip of Israel, the Houthis must cover a distance of at least 1,600 kilometers. The Houthis have an arsenal of ballistic missiles they call Typhoon, the name they gave to Iran’s Qadr missile, according to Fabian Hinz of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The range is 1,600 to 1,900 kilometers, says Hinz, a researcher in defense and military analytics. “At least in the version they showed us, it is very inaccurate, but it should be able to reach Israel.”
Iran conducted tests of its Qadr missiles in 2016, hitting targets at a distance of around 1,400 kilometers. Mohammed Albasha, senior Middle East analyst at the U.S.-based Navanti Group, says the Houthis unveiled their arsenal of Typhoon missiles just weeks before the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Cruise missiles
According to Hinz, the rebels who control large parts of northern Yemen also have the Quds cruise missile, also made by Iran. There are several versions of the Quds, some of which have a range of about 1,000 miles (1,650 kilometers), enough to reach Israel. In 2022, the Houthis said they used Quds-2 cruise missiles to attack oil facilities in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The guided and motorized missiles flew over 1,126 kilometers from northern Yemen. The Houthis also used the Quds-2 missile to attack facilities in Saudi Arabia in 2020.
Drones
Saudi Arabia and the United States have repeatedly accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with drones, missiles and other weapons, which Tehran denies. The Houthis say they make their drones at home, although analysts say they contain smuggled Iranian components. According to Hinz, their arsenal includes Iranian Shahed-136 drones, which Russia uses against Ukraine.
Their range is around 2,000 kilometers. Another drone model, the Samad-3, is available to them: “We don’t know the exact range, but it should be around 1,600 kilometers,” said Hinz. The Houthis have used Samad-3 drones in attacks against the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The Samad-3 can be equipped with 18 kilos of explosives. The Houthi drones use GPS guidance and fly “autonomously along pre-programmed waypoints” toward their targets.
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