File photo: Houthi rebels tap Chinese supply for missile ambitions
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels are seeking to manufacture advanced ballistic missiles using components sourced from China, potentially giving the group the ability to strike targets across Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal.A separate investigation by Bloomberg has documented a wider supply network bringing missile parts, drone components and industrial machinery into Yemen.The findings point to the Houthis’ growing ambition to manufacture more of their own weapons instead of relying primarily on Iran for finished systems. However, the extent of their ability to produce advanced missiles independently remains uncertain.
Chinese shipments reveal missile-building ambitions
The WSJ report, based on findings from Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a group that traces weapons and their supply chains in conflict zones, said Yemeni authorities intercepted two shipments last year containing components needed to build a missile modelled on Iran’s Kheibar Shekan precision-guided ballistic missile.
Kheibar Shekan Missile.
The cargo included custom-made metal parts for missile motors and airframes, stabilising fins and solid-propellant rocket motor components. Investigators also identified material used to make heat shields that protect missiles during atmospheric flight. Some of the components were specifically designed for missile production, while others had potential civilian applications.The Kheibar Shekan, first revealed by Iran in 2022, has a reported range of around 2,000km, potentially placing all of Saudi Arabia and Israel within reach.
Its manoeuvrability is also intended to make interception by air-defence systems more difficult.Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst at CAR, told WSJ that the arrival of Chinese components suggested the Houthis were either already manufacturing missiles or attempting to do so. He cautioned that their heavily concealed weapons facilities made it difficult to establish how far production had progressed.
A wider supply network
A September 23 investigation by Bloomberg examined four shipping containers seized at Yemen’s southern port of Aden.
The cargo had been shipped from China and was bound for Hodeidah, a Red Sea port controlled by the Houthis.Weapons experts found suspected missile parts, drone components, control systems, launch equipment, computer-controlled machine tools, engines and tunnelling equipment. The material included rear fins resembling components used in Iranian ballistic missiles and phenolic resin, which can be used to manufacture heat-resistant missile shields.Fawaz Al Bsesi, director general of Aden’s Land, Sea and Air Ports Department, told Bloomberg that the components appeared to have been distributed across four containers to make them harder to detect. In a note to his superiors, he wrote that he had come across what appeared to be a complete missile structure spread across three containers.The investigation also identified a broader commercial network connecting Chinese exporters with cargo bound for Houthi-controlled territory.
Shipping records reviewed by Bloomberg showed dozens of containers moving under 41 bills of lading. In 25 cases, the Yemeni importer named in the shipping documents was changed while the cargo was in transit. Aden authorities said the changes were intended to conceal the Houthi-linked companies behind the shipments.Some of the seized equipment could have legitimate civilian uses. But weapons experts said the combination of components pointed to a supply chain capable of supporting domestic missile and drone production.
From Iranian weapons to domestic production
The Houthis have expanded their arsenal over years of conflict with support from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Between 2015 and 2019, they relied heavily on importing Iranian missiles in disassembled form and reassembling them. From 2020 to 2023, they increasingly imported components to assemble or upgrade weapons, including systems operated under names such as Burkan and Quds.Analysts say the group is now diversifying its procurement networks and developing greater domestic manufacturing capacity.
Mohammed Albasha, founder of the US-based security advisory firm Basha Report, told The Wall Street Journal that the Houthis had expanded their supply chains, accumulated operational experience and incorporated artificial intelligence into software for their missiles and drones.Henry Thompson, a former expert on the UN panel monitoring sanctions on Yemen, said there was evidence that the Houthis had been importing components for solid-fuel ballistic missiles from China for at least two years.
Medium-range ballistic missiles, he warned, could allow the group to strike deeper into Saudi Arabia with larger payloads than cruise missiles and drones.China has said it complies with the UN arms embargo on the Houthis and maintains controls on military exports and dual-use goods. The reports, however, raise questions about how specialised components and industrial equipment are reaching the group through commercial supply chains.The investigations suggest that the Houthis are seeking the components, machinery and procurement networks needed to build a more self-sufficient weapons programme inside Yemen.