Houthis strike Saudi targets again

Saudi Arabia said Thursday it intercepted a Houthi cruise missile over the Medina region, home to one of Islam's holiest cities. The Yemeni rebels had previously said they would not target this area.

Attacks follow Riyadh airport strike

The interception came the day after Houthis claimed attacks on Riyadh airport and a Saudi Aramco site, after Saudi authorities reported a strike on a building belonging to the oil giant.

More operations promised

The Yemeni rebels have warned that further operations will follow in the coming days, signalling an escalation in their military campaign against Saudi targets.

Houthis show growing military power

Defence analyst Akram Kharief of the Washington-based Middle East Institute says the attacks demonstrate the Houthis' growing military capacities. Since two thousand twenty-two, they have significantly modernised their ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles.

Weapons now resemble Iranian technology

Kharief says the Houthis' current capabilities bear absolutely no resemblance to the weapons they were using at the start of the war against Saudi Arabia.They now have technologies very similar to those used by Iran.

“Their current capabilities bear absolutely no resemblance to the weapons they were using at the start of the war against Saudi Arabia.”

Local technological development evident

A September report by Anthropic, the US company behind the Claude artificial intelligence system, identified a weapons-development cell in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen that had used the tool to work on guidance systems.

AI used for missile guidance

According to the Anthropic report, Claude's computing, engineering and programming capabilities were used to develop software capable of analysing mapping data and aerial imagery to help missiles navigate and identify targets.

AI improves drone autonomy

AI can improve the ability of cruise missiles and drones to distinguish between potential targets and identify them autonomously, without necessarily communicating with an operator in Yemen before deciding to strike.

Iran remains sole military partner

So far, Iran is the only country that has actually transferred technology and know-how to the Houthis. We have not seen them using missiles or drones from sources other than Iran or local production.

Chinese components, not cooperation

A large proportion of components used in Houthi drone and missile technology come from China. But this does not mean military cooperation with Beijing. It is primarily civilian technologies being diverted for military purposes.

Houthis now virtually independent

The Houthis are now virtually independent when it comes to production.Most raw materials needed to manufacture their weapons are available on the international market.Only a few sensitive components still need to be imported from Iran.

“They are now virtually independent when it comes to production, including from Iran.”

Fifteen years of Iranian transfers

Transfers from Iran to Yemen have been taking place for around fifteen years. The Houthis have had time not only to build up stocks, but also to acquire the skills needed to manufacture a large…

Palestine missile shows hybrid model

The Houthis' Palestine missile is a copy of Iranian Fattah medium-range ballistic missiles. Although nearly ninety percent of it is manufactured in Yemen, its guidance system, sensitive components and plans come from Iran.

Production spread across hidden sites

Local production capacity poses a major problem for the future of the conflict because Houthi facilities are often spread across small workshops or underground factories, sometimes buried deep in the mountains, making them particularly difficult…

Houthis not simply Iranian proxies

Kharief says the Houthis have a very high degree of political autonomy from Iran, particularly when deciding whether to go to war.