Yemen’s government: Houthis have developed a new cruise missile that evades air defences — a serious threat to regional security

Yemen’s internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government has claimed that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have developed a new cruise missile capable of evading air defence systems, as Al Jazeera reports. According to the Yemeni government, the missile works with a thermal-tracking guidance system and its capability poses a serious threat to regional security.

The claim comes as the Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, while fighting Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition. The Houthis themselves said they attacked a ‘sensitive target’ in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu — claims Riyadh has not confirmed.

The escalation comes at a delicate moment for the region: the Tehran-backed Houthis have become a new front in the war between the U.S. and Iran, attacking Saudi targets with missiles and drones, while the Saudi coalition responds with air strikes on their positions in Yemen.

The claim about the new missile, if confirmed, would mark a qualitative step in the Houthis’ arsenal and would make it even harder to defend critical Saudi infrastructure — from the capital Riyadh to the ports and energy facilities on the Red Sea coast.