Houthis Claim They Successfully Tested Hypersonic Missile
A source from Yemen’s Houthi armed forces announced the successful testing of a hypersonic missile with high destructive capabilities, amid escalating tensions over recent strikes on shipping vessels linked to the Israeli regime in the Red Sea.
The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 8 (6,200 miles per hour) and is powered by solid fuel, an unnamed military source told Russia’s Sputnik news agency on Thursday.
“Yemen (Houthis) plans to begin manufacturing it for use in attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel,” the source added.
The source went on to say that following months of testing, Yemeni Houthi forces have also upgraded their missiles and drones to carry warheads of twice the explosive power as what it had in its arsenal.
“What comes next will be greater in every sense of the word,” Yemen’s Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned last week, after saying new weapons were used in recent Red Sea operations that surprised the US and Britain.
“The Armed Forces have many cards they have not yet played,” Houthi Defense Minister Major General Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi also stated.
Houthi forces have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden in support of Palestinians.
They say the operations will continue unless Israel stops its war on Gaza, which has killed at least 31,000 Palestinians since early October, according to Hamas officials.
The maritime attacks have forced major shipping and oil firms to suspend transit through the vital trade route.
The Houthis have added US and British assets to its list of legitimate targets after the two countries began air and sea strikes on Yemen in support of Israel’s Gaza campaign.