Houthi rebels claim hypersonic missile, raising stakes in Red Sea
By Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
Mar 14, 07:44 AM
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia’s state media reported Thursday, potentially raising the stakes in their ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways against the backdrop of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unnamed official but provided no evidence for the claim. It comes as Moscow maintains an aggressively counter-Western foreign policy amid its grinding war on Ukraine.
However, the Houthis have for weeks hinted about “surprises” they plan for the battles at sea to counter the U.S. and its allies, which have so far been able to down any missile or bomb-carrying drone that comes near their warships in Mideast waters.
The Houthis’ main benefactor, Iran, claims to have a hypersonic missile and has widely armed the rebels with the missiles they now use. Adding a hypersonic missile to their arsenal could pose a more-formidable challenge to the air defense systems employed by America and its allies, including Israel.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/hypersonics/2024/03/14/houthi-rebels-claim-hypersonic-missile-raising-stakes-in-red-sea/
