Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group is seeking to produce advanced medium-range ballistic missiles on its own using Chinese-made components, according to evidence gathered by investigators. If the effort succeeds, the missiles would have a range of about 2,000 kilometers, enough to strike anywhere in Saudi Arabia as well as Israel.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 13th that it had obtained a report from Conflict Armament Research showing the Houthis procured key components from Chinese suppliers to build a ballistic missile modeled on Iran's precision-guided Kheibar Shekan.
The Kheibar Shekan, first unveiled by Iran in 2022, is a ballistic missile with a maximum range of about 2,000 kilometers. Iran used it to attack U.S. military bases in the Middle East during its recent conflict with the United States and Israel. In the terminal phase, the warhead is said to separate from the body and approach its target at Mach 8. A small engine allows the missile to alter its flight path, making it difficult for air defenses to intercept.
According to the CAR report, the Houthis brought in custom-made metal parts, control fins and solid-propellant rocket motor components needed to build missile engines and airframes. They also obtained missile test equipment and raw materials such as ablative coatings that protect the airframe from high temperatures.
The report was based on two seizures of missile-related equipment hidden in general cargo by the Yemeni government last year, along with information the government provided to CAR in July this year.
"The confirmed arrival of Chinese components means the Houthis are either already producing missiles themselves or attempting to do so," said Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst at CAR. "But because their weapons manufacturing facilities are thoroughly concealed, their actual production capacity is difficult to verify."
The Houthis have long strengthened their missile and drone capabilities with support from Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah. In the early years of Yemen's civil war, from 2015 to 2019, they were limited to importing Iranian missiles in disassembled form and reassembling them for use. From 2020 to 2023, they imported components from Iran to assemble or upgrade missiles themselves, operating weapons under their own names such as the Burkan and the Quds.
More recently, analysts say, the group has been reducing its reliance on Iran and developing the capacity to produce missiles and drones on its own using parts secured from overseas supply chains, including in China.
Mohammed Albasha, founder of the U.S.-based security advisory firm Basha Report, told the Journal that the Houthis have evolved from years of dependence on Iranian and Hezbollah support into an organization with independent weapons production capability. He added that the group has incorporated artificial intelligence into the software of its missiles and drones, diversified its supply chains and accumulated combat experience through prolonged fighting.
The Journal reported that despite U.S. sanctions on the Houthis, components supplied by Chinese companies accounted for the largest share of seized goods recently intercepted en route to the group. Henry Thompson, a former member of the U.N. Panel of Experts on Yemen, warned that there is evidence the Houthis have been importing solid-fuel ballistic missile components from China for at least two years. If the group secures the ability to produce medium-range ballistic missiles, he said, it could strike deep inside Saudi Arabia with missiles carrying larger warheads, posing a far more serious threat to Middle East security.