Houthi Insurgents Targeted Mecca with Scud Missiles
Saudi air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militias on Thursday night toward the holy city of Mecca. Col. (res.) Dr. Shaul Shay discusses the use of Scud missiles by the Houthi rebels
Dr. Shaul Shay
| 30/07/2017
Photo: AP
The Command of the Arab Alliance in Support of Legitimacy in Yemen said on July 27, 2017, that its air defense forces successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Houthi militias in the direction of the holy city of Mecca. The interception operation took place over Al-Wasliya area in Al-Taif province, some 69 km away from Mecca, but did not cause any damages. Al-Wasiliya is one of the main travel routes taken by pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
The Houthi insurgents in Yemen recently acknowledged that they had launched on July 27, 2017, a ballistic missile towards a military base (King Fahad Air Base) in the Mecca region in Saudi Arabia.
The missile was a Scud that was produced by Iran. It has a range of 300 to 500 kilometers, and its warhead weighs about 250 kilograms. According to experts, the missile was manipulated to increase its range to about 700 kilometers, which consequently reduced its accuracy.
This is not the first time that the Houthi insurgents acknowledged that they had targeted the Mecca region in Saudi Arabia. On October 28, 2016, the Saudi Air Defense was able to intercept a ballistic missile launched by Houthi militias from the province of Saada towards the Mecca area. The coalition destroyed the ballistic missile about 65 km away from Mecca without causing any damage. The Houthi insurgents sought to strike Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, which also lies in the Mecca region. The facility is the primary arrival point for the majority of pilgrims headed to Mecca.
Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, advisor at the Saudi defense minister's office, pointed out that the Houthis used Iran’s missile altering techniques, similar to those employed by Hezbollah. Asiri explained that the missile was launched from a mosque in Saada. He added that when Royal Saudi Forces targeted the location where the missiles were launched, they found it was a mosque.
The launch of the ballistic missile caused an outcry in the Islamic, Arab and Western worlds, claiming that targeting Mecca is a red line. Nawaf Al-Faghem, deputy chairman of the security committee of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, said that by targeting Mecca, Houthi militias broke all rules and violated all principles.
The Scud Missiles in Yemen
Until July 2016, most of the reports identified the missiles as Scud missiles. It is not clear how many missiles Houthi forces currently have in their arsenal. Yemen’s military was believed to have had 300 Scud missiles when the conflict began – most of which fell under the control of Houthi rebels and allied troops loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president. Some previous estimates of Yemen’s missile arsenal from defense analysis groups were much smaller.
Yemen is believed to have several different types of Scud missiles of both North Korean and Soviet origin. During 1994’s civil war between southern separatists and the forces of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, both sides used Scuds.
The Houthis first launched a Scud missile in early June 2015, after two months of Saudi-led bombing. Saudi Patriot missiles intercepted the Scud, which was aimed at a Saudi Arabian airbase.
Maj. Gen. Nasser al-Tahri, Deputy Commander-in-chief of Saudi Arabia, revealed that the military of Yemen acquired information confirming the cooperation of several Iranian experts with Houthi rebels to gear up Scud missiles.
Burkan-1 ("Volcano 1"): An Iranian-modified Scud missile, which weighs eight tons, can carry a 700-kilogram warhead and has a range of up to 800 kilometers, making it a midrange missile. The existence of this type of missile in Yemen was first discovered in September 2016, and it was fired against the city of Taif.
Summary
Since March 2015, a Saudi-led Arab coalition has fought against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis and their allies in support of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government. The coalition fighting to restore the internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi accuses Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons. Accusations that have been denied by Iran.
The war in Yemen and the competition over control of the Bab El-Mandab Straits and the Red Sea maritime route are part of the regional conflict between Iran and its allies and Saudi Arabia- and Egypt-led moderate Arab Sunni coalition.
By firing missiles against civilian and military targets in the heart of Saudi Arabia, the Houthis try to change the military balance of the war in Yemen and to create a new balance of deterrence with the Saudi-led coalition. Observers deemed the current launch of the missile as an attempt to "ruin the Hajj pilgrimage season."
The Scud missiles are considered old and inaccurate; yet, pro-Houthi media reports claimed that the Houthis had displayed new, "locally-designed" missiles. The building of such weapons in Yemen requires advanced technology which Houthis and their ally, ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, do not possess and the missiles are likely to be locally produced with Iranian support or Iranian imports.
The Saudi coalition claimed that the continuation of the smuggling of missiles and rockets from Iran to Yemen stems from the lack of monitoring of the Hodeidah Port. It can also be attributed to the misuse of permits granted by the Coalition to relief and goods shipments at a time when the international community has been unable to take a decision that would thwart these violations that are prolonging the war and endangering the lives of civilians.
Political observers expect the 56-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold a meeting that would call for tangible action to thwart the Houthi and Saleh violations. This stance will come in light of a November 2016 meeting of Islamic country foreign ministers, who had taken a collective stand against the first Mecca attack and those behind it.
Saudi air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militias on Thursday night toward the holy city of Mecca. Col. (res.) Dr. Shaul Shay discusses the use of Scud missiles by the Houthi rebels
Photo: AP
The Command of the Arab Alliance in Support of Legitimacy in Yemen said on July 27, 2017, that its air defense forces successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Houthi militias in the direction of the holy city of Mecca. The interception operation took place over Al-Wasliya area in Al-Taif province, some 69 km away from Mecca, but did not cause any damages. Al-Wasiliya is one of the main travel routes taken by pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
The Houthi insurgents in Yemen recently acknowledged that they had launched on July 27, 2017, a ballistic missile towards a military base (King Fahad Air Base) in the Mecca region in Saudi Arabia.
The missile was a Scud that was produced by Iran. It has a range of 300 to 500 kilometers, and its warhead weighs about 250 kilograms. According to experts, the missile was manipulated to increase its range to about 700 kilometers, which consequently reduced its accuracy.
This is not the first time that the Houthi insurgents acknowledged that they had targeted the Mecca region in Saudi Arabia. On October 28, 2016, the Saudi Air Defense was able to intercept a ballistic missile launched by Houthi militias from the province of Saada towards the Mecca area. The coalition destroyed the ballistic missile about 65 km away from Mecca without causing any damage. The Houthi insurgents sought to strike Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, which also lies in the Mecca region. The facility is the primary arrival point for the majority of pilgrims headed to Mecca.
Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, advisor at the Saudi defense minister's office, pointed out that the Houthis used Iran’s missile altering techniques, similar to those employed by Hezbollah. Asiri explained that the missile was launched from a mosque in Saada. He added that when Royal Saudi Forces targeted the location where the missiles were launched, they found it was a mosque.
The launch of the ballistic missile caused an outcry in the Islamic, Arab and Western worlds, claiming that targeting Mecca is a red line. Nawaf Al-Faghem, deputy chairman of the security committee of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, said that by targeting Mecca, Houthi militias broke all rules and violated all principles.
The Scud Missiles in Yemen
Until July 2016, most of the reports identified the missiles as Scud missiles. It is not clear how many missiles Houthi forces currently have in their arsenal. Yemen’s military was believed to have had 300 Scud missiles when the conflict began – most of which fell under the control of Houthi rebels and allied troops loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president. Some previous estimates of Yemen’s missile arsenal from defense analysis groups were much smaller.
Yemen is believed to have several different types of Scud missiles of both North Korean and Soviet origin. During 1994’s civil war between southern separatists and the forces of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, both sides used Scuds.
The Houthis first launched a Scud missile in early June 2015, after two months of Saudi-led bombing. Saudi Patriot missiles intercepted the Scud, which was aimed at a Saudi Arabian airbase.
Maj. Gen. Nasser al-Tahri, Deputy Commander-in-chief of Saudi Arabia, revealed that the military of Yemen acquired information confirming the cooperation of several Iranian experts with Houthi rebels to gear up Scud missiles.
Burkan-1 ("Volcano 1"): An Iranian-modified Scud missile, which weighs eight tons, can carry a 700-kilogram warhead and has a range of up to 800 kilometers, making it a midrange missile. The existence of this type of missile in Yemen was first discovered in September 2016, and it was fired against the city of Taif.
Summary
Since March 2015, a Saudi-led Arab coalition has fought against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis and their allies in support of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government. The coalition fighting to restore the internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi accuses Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons. Accusations that have been denied by Iran.
The war in Yemen and the competition over control of the Bab El-Mandab Straits and the Red Sea maritime route are part of the regional conflict between Iran and its allies and Saudi Arabia- and Egypt-led moderate Arab Sunni coalition.
By firing missiles against civilian and military targets in the heart of Saudi Arabia, the Houthis try to change the military balance of the war in Yemen and to create a new balance of deterrence with the Saudi-led coalition. Observers deemed the current launch of the missile as an attempt to "ruin the Hajj pilgrimage season."
The Scud missiles are considered old and inaccurate; yet, pro-Houthi media reports claimed that the Houthis had displayed new, "locally-designed" missiles. The building of such weapons in Yemen requires advanced technology which Houthis and their ally, ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, do not possess and the missiles are likely to be locally produced with Iranian support or Iranian imports.
The Saudi coalition claimed that the continuation of the smuggling of missiles and rockets from Iran to Yemen stems from the lack of monitoring of the Hodeidah Port. It can also be attributed to the misuse of permits granted by the Coalition to relief and goods shipments at a time when the international community has been unable to take a decision that would thwart these violations that are prolonging the war and endangering the lives of civilians.
Political observers expect the 56-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold a meeting that would call for tangible action to thwart the Houthi and Saleh violations. This stance will come in light of a November 2016 meeting of Islamic country foreign ministers, who had taken a collective stand against the first Mecca attack and those behind it.
