Houthis' arsenal sustains strikes on Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have built a missile and drone arsenal that gives them varied and sustained strike capabilities against Saudi Arabia and targets near the Red Sea, according to analysts and research organisations cited by AFP.

Since early September, the Houthis have hit key oil infrastructure and airports across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh's airport, which has been targeted 20 times. They have also unsuccessfully targeted Medina and Mecca.

The renewed hostilities followed a Saudi bombardment of Sanaa airport in July to prevent a Houthi delegation from landing there. April Longley Alley, a Yemen specialist at the Washington Institute, described the recent exchanges as “tit-for-tat” military strikes and said the Houthis framed the campaign as “blockade for blockade, airport for airport, escalation for escalation.”

The Houthis possess ballistic missiles and drones that they are also using to hit targets in the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea.

Niranjan BS, a strategic weapons analyst at Jane's, said Houthi missile stocks partly come from arsenals seized when the group took Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, as well as systems smuggled into Yemen or built from smuggled parts, mainly through the Arabian Sea.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance database says the Houthis have several types of medium-range missiles, some derived from Iranian models. The Wilson Center says they also have short-range missiles and cruise missiles from Iran's Quds missile family. One version is believed to have a range of 2,000 kilometres, according to the Wilson Center.

Niranjan BS said Houthi Waeid-1 and Waeid-2 aerial drones are local copies of Iran's Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 one-way attack drones.

The Middle East Institute said Iran has provided critical military assistance to the Houthis, particularly missiles and unmanned aerial vehicle systems. It said missile and drone parts are designed and manufactured in Iran and smuggled into Yemen by small boats, container ships or over the Oman-Yemen border, where they are assembled.

Danny Citrinowicz, an Israeli analyst specialised in Iran, cautioned that the Houthis see themselves as partners of Iran, not proxies. He said Iranian operatives in Yemen advise but do not decide Houthi operations.

Longley Alley said the Houthis have withstood punishing air campaigns before from Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel, and are likely calculating that they can endure further strikes longer than Saudi Arabia can.