Do the Houthis really have hypersonic missiles now?

Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency reported the Houthi militants in Yemen are now in possession of hypersonic missiles. The report said the Houthis’ missile forces successfully tested a missile capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8 and runs on solid fuel.

“Oh, good! The Houthis may have hypersonic missiles now! That should help ease tensions in the Middle East,” said no one. Before going further with this story, know that most of the details are coming from Russia, Iran and the Houthis. So take a lot of this with a grain of salt.

🇾🇪 – The Yemeni Houthi forces have declared the successful testing of a hypersonic missile. It is assessed that they have acquired Iranian Fattah hypersonic missiles, potentially with a range of up to 1,400 km. pic.twitter.com/Z9UiwTv29b

— Abdul Quadir – عبدالقادر (@Northistan) March 15, 2024

The Houthis “intend to begin manufacturing [the missiles] for use during attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel.” The report cited an unidentified official but provided no evidence for the claim.

When the news first broke, there was talk the Houthis themselves had developed the weapons, which seems unlikely given they have neither the technical ability nor industrial infrastructure to develop such devices.

However Iran may have hypersonic missiles. The missile is called the “Fattah,” which is Farsi for “conqueror.” The Iranian regime launched a PR campaign around it last year; complete with artistic billboards saying the missile flies faster than 5,100 meters per second, or right around 11,500 miles per hour. That is fast enough to reach Israel in just 400 seconds.

That’s what Iran said the Fattah can do. However, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s spokesperson, said there is no indication the Iranian regime even has hypersonic capabilities.

But that doesn’t mean Iran isn’t trying to develop them and use the Red Sea as a testing ground.

Commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Houthis in Yemen. There is a well-established smuggling pipeline of weapons from Iran going to Yemen and the Houthis.

Multiple shipments were seized in just the last few months alone, including one cache of items that included components for Iranian-made underwater drones. So, while it’s unclear whether Iran’s Fattah missile really is hypersonic, it is possible the Houthis at least have them and are getting ready to use them.

The Houthis have underwater drones now

The Houthis started hinting about “surprises” in store for their at-sea battles weeks ago, and the Houthis’ leader said the group was going to start attacking ships trying to sail around Africa. That’s another prospect which seems unlikely given their location in Yemen. However, it could be possible if Iran supplies the Houthis with boats — like the ones they just sent Venezuela.

The one thing that is clear is that the Houthis are not being deterred by the numerous air strikes from the U.S. and U.K., however accurate they may be.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the militant group, said his fighters “continue to expand the effectiveness and scope of our operations to areas and locations the enemy never expects.”

He said his soldiers would also prevent ships “connected to the Israeli enemy even crossing the Indian Ocean.”

There’s a silver lining to the attacks in the Red Sea

The Associated Press contributed to this report.