On March 28, the Saudi Royal Air Defense Force reported that it successfully intercepted four ballistic missiles fired by Houthi forces in Yemen. The missiles, intercepted by Saudi Arabia’s PAC-3 interceptors, were targeting the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushayt, which contains the King Khalid Air Base, and Abha. In a statement by the Saudi Press...
A report released on March 22 by Conflict Armament Research argues that Houthi rebels in Yemen are using an Iranian designed drone variant to attack Saudi and UAE missile defense sites. Officials have indicated that the drones have been used in kamikaze style attacks on Patriot missile defense radars in an attempt to degrade those...
On November 25, 2016, 11 Scud missiles were fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen towards the southern city of Al-Tuwal in Saudi Arabia. No damage from the attack was reported, and despite some media reports, it remains unclear whether the missiles were intercepted. On November 26, 2016, the Saudi Press Agency reported that Saudi Air...
On October 9, the USS Mason fired two Standard Missile-2 Block IV interceptors and an Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile in response to multiple cruise missiles launched at it and the USS Ponce off the coast of Yemen. The attack comes after a cruise missile launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen struck a UAE vessel on...
On October 1, a UAE auxiliary ship was hit by four rockets reportedly launched by Houthi rebels while sailing near Yemen in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping lane. This ship was contracted to UAE and supported the Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been defending Yemen’s internationally-recognized government since March 2015. While the ship...
One may be forgiven for not noticing that Saudi Arabia on June 6 used Patriot missiles to intercept a Scud-class missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Besides adding the Saudis to the very short list of states that have intercepted a ballistic missile fired in anger, the episode holds several lessons about regional security...
