Missiles, drones and smuggled weapons: How the Houthis keep striking back
PARIS, Oct 16 — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have built up a missile and drone arsenal capable of launching v...
The Iran-backed Houthis have amassed a missile and drone arsenal capable of launching varied and sustained strikes, as Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government they back are discovering. Since early September, the Houthis have targeted key oil infrastructure and airports in Saudi Arabia, including the capital Riyadh's airport, which has been hit 20 times.
They have also aimed at the cities of Medina and Mecca unsuccessfully. The escalation was in response to a Saudi strike on Sanaa, Yemen's capital, in July, aimed at preventing a Houthi delegation from landing there. "The Houthis framed this campaign as blockade for blockade, airport for airport, escalation for escalation," April Longley Alley, a Yemen analyst at the Washington Institute think tank, explained.
The Houthis possess a diverse range of ballistic missiles and drones, some of which are derived from Iranian models and others manufactured locally. These weapons include medium-range ballistic missiles, short-range missiles, cruise missiles, aerial drones, and maritime drones. Iran has provided the Houthis with crucial military support, including the delivery of missile and UAV systems, although the Houthis consider themselves partners of Iran, not mere proxies.
Despite years of conflict, the Houthis are seen as resilient and able to sustain their attacks due to their battle-hardened nature.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
