Reports are coming out indicating that the Houthi rebels of northern Yemen have successfully tested a new, advanced hypersonic missile.
This story was broken by Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, which cited an unidentified official, but was unable to provide substantial evidence for the claim. This report comes at a crucial point in the conflict between Israel and Gaza and could potentially raise the stakes in the Houthis' relentless attacks on Israel-affiliated shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. (Related: British merchant ship abandoned in Red Sea following Houthi missile strike.)
This report also comes as Houthi spokespersons have, for weeks, hinted about "surprises" as they plan to escalate their ongoing battles at sea to counter Israel, the United States and their allies.
"The group's missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8 and runs on solid fuel," said a military official close to the Houthis who spoke with RIA Novosti. "[The Houthis] intend to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel."
Mach 8 is eight times the speed of sound, or over 102 miles per minute. Hypersonic missiles like the one the Houthis allegedly have flown at speeds higher than Mach 5 and pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because their speed can generally evade anti-missile systems.
On Thursday, March 14, the same day reports of Houthi acquisition of hypersonic missiles came out, Houthi Supreme Leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said the militant group will begin hitting Israel- and U.S.-aligned shipping as far south as the Cape of Good Hope in Africa's southern tip.
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Until now, the Houthis have largely focused on Israel- and U.S.-aligned shipping heading into the Red Sea toward Israel's southern ports. Such an escalation would target the longer, alternative route used by some vessels to avoid the dangers associated with attempting a crossing through the Red Sea. If its acquisition of hypersonic missiles is confirmed, the Houthis could plausibly carry out such attacks.
Iran may have supplied the Houthis with the hypersonic missiles
The Houthis' main arms benefactor is Iran, which also claims to have its hypersonic missile – the Fattah, or "Conqueror" missile, unveiled in June.
Given that Tehran is responsible for providing many of the missiles and drones that the Houthis have been using, it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that they may have gotten their hands on hypersonic missiles from Iran.
Adding a hypersonic missile to their arsenal could pose a more formidable challenge to the air defense systems employed by the U.S., Israel and their allies.
Fabian Hinz, an expert on missile technology and a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said he would not be surprised if Iran essentially used the Houthis as guinea pigs to test its new hypersonic weapons. Gaining some battlefield experience could help Tehran answer questions like how maneuverable the hypersonic missile is at speeds multiple times the speed of sound and whether it could hit moving targets, like ships in the Red Sea.
"I wouldn't exclude the possibility that the Houthis have some system that has some maneuvering capability to some extent," said Hinz. "It is also possible for the Iranians to transfer new stuff for the Houthis to test it."
Watch this report from Southfront Press discussing one of the latest Houthi attacks against Israel-affiliated shipping passing through the Red Sea.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
WAR TACTIC: Iran fires ballistic missiles from launchers disguised as standard shipping containers.
$32M U.S. reaper drone SHOT DOWN near Yemen; U.K. tanker destroyed on the SAME DAY.
Ex-defense chief: Royal Navy warships are "unsatisfactory" and lack power to attack Houthis on land.
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